Shadow Of A Doubt
by Blue Lone Wolf 2574
Summary: Auror and Animagus Harry and his partner Draco Malfoy have gotten past their differences. Unfortunately, someone hasn't and hits close to home in a fashion that shakes the foundations. Hard pressed to find a murderer of mysterious motives and origins, can they find a killer while finding love at the same time? Ignores Epilogue, rated T to be safe. Rating may change, future lemons
1. Chapter 1: Man's Best Friend

Hey everybody, yes I know, 'another one? So soon?' is no doubt the questions being asked of my followers. Well I just couldn't help myself. The HP bug has bitten me and I swear I have Drarry fever. Like most of my work, it's kinda AU, kinda OOC but still the Harry Potter you know and love. Totally ignores the epilogue though DH and all that still happened. I don't own HP cuz books and films are enough. Enjoy!

"Iii" = speech

_Iii_ = thought

Chapter 1: Man's Best Friend

There was no denying the beauty of autumn, especially in October when September's sometimes uncomfortable mixture of summer's heat and fall's chill finally gave way to the latter as the former faded away. Nearly every tree in London was a shade of red, orange or yellow, their leaves shifting in cool breezes as frost often bit at them and the fading green of the grass of one of the city's few parks that allowed dogs. One of the park's many occupants was a rather tall, aristocratic looking blonde man with pale skin and stormy grey eyes to match his thick coat and dual toned scarf. His hair was short but fashionably long in places, a few rogue strands catching on his lashes due to the cool breeze winding through. His shoes were sleek and professional as were his dark slacks, both suitable for the outing with his dog, whose drool was thankfully not soaking into his gloves in a most unnerving fashion. Or such was the illusion that Auror Draco Malfoy wanted to portray, his hawthorn wand hidden in his sleeve for the very moment he and his partner were ready to make their move. Said partner was actually his counterpart in their ongoing game of 'fetch' with a cheap squeaky bone, the large dog darting around happily after the emerald green toy. Draco had gotten the toy as a joke, laughing all the harder at the scowl he'd received only to be joined in the hearty expression of amusement. Despite their pasts, and somewhat ongoing rivalry, Draco found it hard not to get along with his assigned partner Harry Potter, the raven-haired man having slowly warmed up to him in the first few months of their partnership. True to form Ronald Weasley and Harry's first real friend had been skeptical before giving in to the fact that the blonde wasn't secretly out to kill them while Hermione welcomed Draco into their group. In all honesty, Draco liked the young couple with Ron's ability to hold his own in chess and Hermione meeting him in the middle in terms of research for cases between her own work with the Ministry's legal departments. So far, Draco's own friends Pansy Zabini nee Parkinson and her husband Blaise had yet to lash out at the couple like he and Harry feared. Instead, the Slytherins found their own kinship with them, more often than not comparing notes on childcare since Pansy and Blaise were about to have their first baby while Ron and Hermione had a baby girl named Rose to care for. Pleased with this outcome, Harry in turn hadn't hesitated to try and help Draco and his mother Narcissa patch their relations with Andromeda and his godson Teddy Lupin. Even now, after three years, it was slow going but promising.

"C'mon Hadrian! Go get it!" Draco called in a kind voice to the large black dog that was Harry, using the name they'd chosen for when the raven was in his Animagus form, mostly to keep the blonde from calling him anything embarrassing, even for a dog. The composed tone was mostly due to Hermione's lectures not just on how Belgians answered to gentle guidance, but mostly because she threatened to leave his varying limbs on different corners of the isle if anything that happened to Harry turned out to be his fault. Like any level-headed Malfoy, Draco valued his life as well as his limbs.

Barking loudly, Harry bounded off after the thrown toy, his sharp white teeth chewing it mercilessly once he caught up with it and making it give off that annoying noise. No one had been more surprised than Harry when after nearly two years of training, when he'd finally shifted that he'd become a dog. There were a few theories on why but the man chalked it up to a subconscious tribute to his godfather Sirius who'd also been a dog. Turning into a stag and trying to perform surveillance would've been very difficult. And not just any dog, but a Belgian Shepherd, black with bits of brown as all of its kind were, with a white, jagged line where his scar was. Thankfully, his eyes were a deep chocolate brown rather than their natural emerald, mostly since the color was unheard of in dogs and that breed especially. Upon discovering what kind of dog he was, Hermione had forced Draco to undergo a crash course in the care of said animals, much to the blonde's dismay. More than once, Harry had shifted for said sessions, growling his annoyance whenever the blonde man did something wrong, baring his teeth when things weren't going to his liking. Rambunctious four-year old Rose found great delight in playing with her 'doggy uncle', Harry only changing when nothing else would please the child and changing back as punishment for when said child got too handsy with his long fur. More than once, he could recall when the little girl had been merciless when tugging on his ears and tail, making him yelp loud enough to make his friends jump. Ron and Hermione were certain to ensure their daughter kept from doing such things again else Harry might accidentally let his animal instinct take over just long enough for their child to get hurt. Fearful of that exact scenario, Harry made sure he only changed when either one of his friends was in the room to ensure things didn't go that far.

Running back to Draco on his thin legs, his long face split in a dog's grin and pointy ears folded back, Harry was glad that there were few people in the park today. It was undoubtedly beautiful if the golden sun peeking in and out of the clouds, mixing well with the warm colors of the leaves in contrast to the snappish chill, making his thick fur a blessing. Relinquishing the toy to the blonde, Harry quickly noticed how his partner's face was turning a slight shade of pink, likely from exposure to the cool wind that blew by. The blonde also seemed to be favoring his shoulder, possibly for throwing the toy for close to an hour which was a tad bit longer than they'd intended by Harry's internal clock. Taking a seat just next to the tall blonde man rather than gearing up for another go with the toy, Harry inwardly smiled when Draco blinked. Not about to show his surprise and give them away, Draco glanced at the ground warily before sitting down next to the large black dog when he recalled what he and Harry had talked about.

"Dogs are smarter than you think so impressing you probably won't be easy." Harry had begun when they sat in their office between cases and paperwork over a year earlier. They had even moved their desks to make room.

Smirking, Draco had taken the comment with an air of mock irritation. "Should I take that as a compliment, Potter?"

Despite his answering smile, Harry remained solemn as he explained. "I'm just saying that in spite of things, dogs can be smart and the Belgian Shepherd has high marks on intelligence. Hermione says they're supposed to be good with kids, which is one reason I haven't accidentally bitten Rose yet." He stated, cringing at the mere thought of hurting his friend's only child. Draco stood by patiently for the raven to continue, knowing well enough not to press about the raven's fear. Keeping his voice level, Harry went on. "Anyway, they're also supposed to be high energy so finding something that we both agree on for long surveillance sessions would be prudent."

"Like what?" the blonde inquired, suddenly hating that he knew next to nothing about dogs at this point.

"Most things to do with agility and stamina since the Belgian is a herding dog, preferably something with high stimulus as well for the intelligence factor to keep the mind occupied throughout the activity. Obstacle courses and the like, including ones for police and military dogs." Harry clarified, not appearing surprised when Draco blinked his confusion.

"Police dogs? Oh, that thing muggles do?" the blonde asked when he recalled one of the many lectures that included how even dogs had jobs.

Nodding, Harry's demeanor seemed to take on a hard edge. "Yes, certain breeds are best for sniffing out contraband, suspects and detaining criminals. Many give up out of fear of being bitten by the dog and its unrelenting grip on their limbs. They even have vests for dogs to try and keep them from being shot. Despite being a different species, muggles treat dogs almost like equals in this regard. I've even seen a funeral for a fallen police dog."

Staring, his face pale, Draco nodded solemnly at this information. "And any snark I had on that is now suddenly inappropriate. Am I right in saying they train these dogs well?" he asked, hoping the question would be enough of a distraction from how much he hated himself at that moment.

Relaxing a bit, as if to show he was glad for the shift in subject, Harry went on. "They do, but mostly as games so that the dog enjoys it at the same time. Essentially, dogs are furry, four-legged children who need to be challenged and if they enjoy the work they're doing under the guise of game then they do better each time. The obstacle course is one of those activities that people will expect a Belgian to be doing. Of course, fetch is fine for now since I doubt we'll be infiltrating any dog shows."

"Dog shows? Muggles have shows for dogs?" Draco asked, bewildered. He had little knowledge of muggle television but a show with nothing but dogs sounds absolutely ridiculous.

For the first time, Harry chuckled at him, likely knowing where his mind had gone. "Yes, it's more of a contest for breeders and owners of specific dogs to show off their pets based on size, type and class. Far as I know, only purebred dogs can enter since mixed breeds are often too irregular in features to become a breed of their own half the time. Only certain dogs that best represent their classes win. Others are based on the obstacle courses I mentioned and accept mixed breeds regardless but often have different courses set up for the different sizes and win based on how fast both pet and owner complete to course. But since those include the owner running or jogging alongside the dog, giving commands and encouragement, we'll hold off on those unless we have to."

"I should hope not. I wish to chase suspects, not dogs." The blonde drawled haughtily, Auror duties be damned. He had his pride dammit!

This had Harry chuckling again, the noise making Draco shift uncomfortably. "My thoughts exactly." The raven told him, positioning himself in the open space they'd made. "Let's get started."

They pair spoke about the subject in a companionable fashion for close to an hour, eventually agreeing that Harry taking a seat without being commanded was a sign that he wished to stop their current activity for some reason. When Harry simply stared, panting lightly from the exertion of their game, Draco knew then the raven wanted to take a break. Glad to be seated even if it was on the cold ground, the blonde was surprised further when Harry moved to lie down, his head held high in a way that made him look oddly regal. _If I didn't know any better, that mane of his makes him look like a strange kind of lion…typical Gryffindor._ Draco thought as he let his gaze wander to the house across the street, the one they'd been watching for the hour they'd been there. He'd hoped to see their suspect, a smuggler of rare artifacts, come or even come out of the house but so far, there had been nothing. And since Draco knew Harry was sensitive to Dark items and their magic, and the raven had yet to react, it was safe to assume their quarry probably wouldn't be around for a while. Or at least that was his assumption until the black dog stiffened, his ears straight and eyes focusing with unnerving accuracy onto a figure crossing through the park in a very poor attempt to look unassuming. Since it was a Muggle space, and any wizarding folk that lived nearby were few and far-between, there was no denying the man was probably who they'd been waiting for. Harry's wet nose was twitching, the large dog shifting in place in obvious anticipation. Even as a human, the raven couldn't help but fidget, his time as an in-action sort of wizard usually putting a damper on their surveillance sessions. But Draco knew better than to doubt the raven, having seen him duel more times than he cared to for him to trust him in a fight. Even in the form of a dog, now was one of those times.

"Ready?"

Harry growled, shifting some more in anticipation. Draco was once again glad they'd gone over what cues his partner would likely use, for even as a dog the man was impatient. Like his Animagus form, he wanted to chase. The way the large black beast was licking its chops was warning enough but Draco just looped his fingers through the red collar they'd found for Harry to wear as part of his cover. "Just wait." Draco soothed, pretending to scratch Harry behind the ears as he watched the man pass them by, the idiot paying them no mind in his haste to get to the house across the street.

Tail wagging, Harry inwardly liked the gentle stroking of Draco's fingers over his furry neck, dutifully ignoring the sensation in favor of their quarry. It hadn't been difficult to train the dog section of his brain to use his human half as a sort of targeting system, mostly to prevent him from going after the wrong person should he lose sight of his quarry somehow. Ever the professionals that they were, they both waited until the man made one last nervous scan of the street and the park before he opened the door. Once he was about to step inside, Draco gave Harry a little push, the cue the raven was more than happy to take. In seconds he was up and bounding through the park gates and across the street that was thankfully vacant of cars, his canine legs eating up the distance as if he were flying on his Firebolt. Draco was right after him, knowing that Harry's instincts would be overwhelmed by the dog that he was, making sure that they were under a Disillusionment Charm even at a full run in case any Muggles were curious on why they were sprinting across the street. A feral snarl and a bout of loud barking was all the warning the man got once Harry was on the steps, closing the distance with a spring of energy that had strong jaws clamped onto the man's arm like a vice. Surprised and in pain, the man was cursing and howling as Harry bit and thrashed, tearing into the man's sleeve and his flesh just underneath. Draco didn't envy him one bit, casting Silencing Charms to keep anyone nearby from coming up to see what all the fuss was about. He would've gone into the customary speech of telling the man he was under arrest and whatnot but from all the struggling going on, Draco knew he had to be discreet about revealing that his partner was an Animagus.

Pulling the large dog back by the color, Draco didn't give the man a chance to recover by hitting him with a Stunner, hoping it would be enough to bring his partner back to his human senses. To his relief, it was for the dog began to shift back into the tall, raven-haired man that he was. Emerald eyes blinked as his eyesight adjusted from black and white to color, pulling his glasses from a pocket in his jacket. Like Draco, the raven was dressed like a muggle, his casual attire making him look like he worked in an office that made him look gorgeous in Draco's mind. Not that he'd admit it out loud, even under Veritaserum or even when drunk. Next to him, Harry was drawing his wand from his sleeve and pulling the now oversized collar over his head, stuffing the crimson band in to a pocket, green eyes hard with a perfected look of determination and professional confidence.

With a flick of the holly wand, Harry muttered. "_Homenum Revelio._" The spell swept through the door and over the fallen man like a gust of wind. When nothing happened shortly afterward, Harry scowled. "Empty. We should still look though, in case of evidence."

"Way ahead of you." Draco responded, casing an Incarcerous on their fallen foe prior to stepping over him to walk further into the house, casting charms for curses and alarms. Knowing the blonde wasn't going to come back and help (like always), Harry levitated the man fully into the hall before shutting the door, finding the man's wand and following Draco. As expected, the house was unfurnished and void of decoration save for the fading paint on the walls. It was also dusty, making his still sensitive nose twitch as it tried to clog up his head, forcing him to sneeze forcefully and earn a look from the blonde.

"Sorry, price one pays I guess." He mumbled, a blush coming onto his cheeks, his color more of a healthy pink than a deathly pale as when Draco had first met the man.

"I'll take your word for it." Draco retorted shortly, giving his partner a sneer of annoyance as he blew his nose with a hanky he had in his pocket.

Chuckling, Harry smiled at his partner with mock sympathy. "What's the matter Malfoy? Afraid you turn into a garter snake or something?"

"Yes, because I fear I will change into one of the most useless animals on the planet. That's exactly it Potter." The blonde shot back, only earning another deep chuckle for his quip.

"I don't know: being able to fit into small spaces, be up high in the rafters without being noticed? Maybe the cold might get to you, maybe even the dust but who knows? You might get a lot done as a little yellow and black strip of leather." The raven joked, earning a punch in the arm for his efforts, laughing all the louder at the other man's face.

"Fuck off Potter." Draco snarled, more frustrated than angry but wasn't about to let his partner know that.

"So you don't want me to let someone make you into a belt then?" the man pressed, grinning like a fool when Draco simply glared viciously, his face turning beet red.

"Just shut up and work you idiot." The blonde seethed, completely distracted now.

"I think someone just woke on the wrong side of his little sunlamp. Do you think if I cast Lumos you'll feel better?" Harry had to dance out of the way of a hex sent his way, still smiling in spite of it as he backed away into the hall again. "Hit a nerve have I? Well I'll check upstairs while you see if they have a basement or something. You just might like it down there!"

"You-!" Draco began but the raven had already dashed up the stairs like a child running from his parents, making the blonde call out after him. "I'll get you yet you snarky bastard!"

The only response he got from his infuriating partner was deep laughter, the low tones making Draco shiver as they echoed off the walls and hit him like a slap in the face. For having worked with the man for the past six years, the first two spent in a grueling and tense time of training where their rivalry had finally reached its apex. Only when they had been assigned to one another did it die down and become more an ongoing contest in terms of wit and hard work that ended with them getting a drink or a meal regardless of who won. It sure as Hades wasn't based on them being in differing Houses and from conflicting points of view. So far, the raven seemed to enjoy riling him up just to see him get upset and lash out, laughing even as he dodged curses and hexes. Forcing himself to take a few calming breaths, Draco continued his search of the floor through the few rooms that were there before proceeding to the basement. Once downstairs, the darkness forced away by a Lumos, the blonde scowled in puzzlement at a myriad of wooden crates. The fact there were crates was worrying, which meant they were either artifacts or stolen goods. And since they were after the man upstairs for illegally importing rare potion ingredients, something that might be benign at first glance was possibly extremely dangerous. Stepping carefully into the unbearably dusty and shadowy space, Draco cast detection charms for curses and Dark magic before pulling the lid off one of the crates. The crumpled bits of hay that acted as packing material greeted his eyes, using his wand to push it away to reveal jars of scales, hairs and small horns that he recognized from the various potions he himself had made through legal means. Quite a few were actually required for qualifying for the Aurors, and Draco hadn't been surprised when Harry had grazed by well enough to satisfy the instructors. He was just glad the raven hadn't blown up half the lab with any potential mistakes. Moving on to another box, Draco was satisfied to find it free of curses and hexes before opening it, finding more jars and vials of contraband. He was about to look into the third crate when the sound of the door distracted him.

_No one's supposed to be here but us and the suspect. So who…?_ Draco felt his blood run cold. Either there was a muggle in the house, which was unlikely going from the charms on the house, or one of the smuggler's partners had just shown up. That or the bastard woke up, got free and just ran for it. Only the sounds of two pairs of voices told him it was the second of his wild assumptions, daring to go up the stairs far enough to catch what was being said.

"—already be comin' up to hex us! Did you have to slam the door so hard?" the first man growled irritably, recognizing it even though he wasn't yelling in pain.

The second man, the newcomer, sounded morose in the face of his friend's irritation at him. "Sorry Gordo, it was the wind, I swear."

"Sometimes I wonder why I keep you around. Is anyone else coming?" the first man snarled, keeping his voice low when they all heard Harry shifting around upstairs. It was possible the raven hadn't heard the door or thought it was Draco getting help.

"Nah, just me today. Why?" the newcomer asked, honestly curious.

The first man's next words made Draco want to be sick. "That Auror came with a dog of some kind. His partner no doubt but if they're onto us, then this whole thing is bound to go up in smoke. They could know what's in the basement, this months' shipment, right now!"

"So why not just go and hex 'em? It's just the two of 'em ain't it?" Gordo asked, finally using his small intelligence to do some calculating.

"Don't be daft! Aurors are trained to be tough as they come! Besides, I ain't so dumb to take them on…at least fairly." The first man seethed with a hiss, switching to dangerous glee when he asked his companion. "You got that thing I asked for?"

"Right here." the newcomer Gordo told him, the rustle of cloth telling Draco the man had pulled something from his pocket, possibly an artifact.

"Perfect." The first man hummed in blood-chilling mirth, sounding oh-too-smug for what he planned to be good. "You might want to stand back."

Draco only had seconds to react, silently hoping Harry had done the same as he cast _Protego_ against the wave of magic that swept through the house like a sonic boom. The transparent shield held for all it was worth before collapsing, the unknown magic thankfully avoiding Draco long before the spell failed. Upstairs, Harry wasn't as lucky as a shout echoed through the empty house followed by a forceful slam of a door. Draco didn't know what had just happened but from the way the raven had shouted, it hadn't been good. From the way the two men started cackling, they had no idea the artifact hadn't affected him, working under the belief that Harry was alone while he was supposedly off getting help. And if he didn't act soon, who knew what they'd do to the one man in their office who actually gave a shit about him! Heavy footsteps told him the pair was on their way upstairs to his now trapped partner, giving Draco the needed opportunity to try and catch them unawares. One of them was without a wand but without having an eye on the artifact they had, his moves were limited. Stepping as lightly as his shoes would allow, tempted to cast a Silencing Charm on them, the blonde made it through the kitchen and the small hall under the stairs into the empty living room to see a shadow just pass the end of the banister within his line of vision.

Moving with as much stealth as he could encourage from his nervous body, Draco carefully followed the two men, gripping his hawthorn wand with every intent of hexing the men half to death if Harry was hurt. Not just because he cared for the man. No, mostly to keep his friends from hunting him down for not fulfilling his role as the raven's makeshift keeper. Listening carefully, Draco followed their footsteps to a room at the end of the second floor's long and thankfully wide hall leading to the left where a door stood ajar. Just ahead, the unfamiliar back of the newcomer passed through but thankfully didn't close it behind him. _These idiots really think they're along! Bad for them, but good for me._ Draco thought as he crept forward with both speed and grace, keen ears picking up on low chuckles from the two men and Harry's muffled cursing. Already he could feel magic shift in the room beyond as the raven tried to spell himself out only to curse louder and much fouler, earning more harsh cackles. A loud noise made Draco jump, making the two criminals start roaring as Harry began to kick at the door rather than try and blast his way out. Explaining to their boss Robards why a pair of muggle apartments had been wrecked would be interesting and probably earn them a month's worth of paperwork and crap assignments. But as the men crowed with cruel joy over their victim's actions, Draco could tell Harry's attempts were becoming more desperate.

"I think we got ourselves a greenhorn Henry!" the newcomer declared with a disgustingly easy tone, far too amused by the thumping of flesh against thick wood.

"I think we do Gordo, I think we do." The first man stated in turn, now dubbed Henry, making it easy for Draco to envision the cruel grin on his ugly face. "I also think it's time we had some fun."

That was all Draco needed to hear, bursting into the room quick enough for their reactions to be delayed, shouting 'Aurors!' and thus allowing him to Stun them both, summoning the newcomer's wand before binding them. Searching his initial captive, Draco felt another chill go through him when he found the artifact responsible for Harry's predicament: an Imprisonment Bell, a simple, innocuous looking piece of magic pewter polished to the point of appearing silver. The main difference with this bell was that it had no clapper and its magic, soundless as it was, could only be activated by the user's wand. Just barely legal, the item was often used to ensure that intruders would be trapped in confined spaces for the authorities while others, like now, used them against unsuspecting Aurors just doing their jobs. And going from Harry's incessant pounding, the raven wasn't pleased about it. If anything, the man was more desperate than ever to be free of his makeshift prison, worrying the blonde even more.

"Harry? Harry, you need to calm down." Draco called down, letting out a relieved sigh when the pounding finally stopped.

The blonde blinked in shock when a small voice answered, sounding nothing like the confident man he worked with. "Draco?"

"Yes it's me. Are you alright?" he asked, wary of this odd shift in personality.

"Get me out…please get me out Draco." Harry said with a soft wail of emotional agony and distress, coupled with a disturbing sound of nails scratching at the paneling.

Blinking at the broken plea, the prospect of using the raven's fear against the man would've enticed Draco into all kinds of dark forms of thinking, coming up with cruel ways to further traumatize his victim. But that was something a child would do, blinded by limited the invisible walls of status and his father's iron control over everything. Now, Draco wasn't so vile to do such a thing unless what he intended was mild and in jest, earning laughter rather than screams. Unsure if the bell needed an incantation or not, and deciding not to test it and pocketing the bell instead, Draco cast _Finite_ on the door since he was certain Harry had tried it first and it hadn't worked for some reason, hoping it would be enough to free his partner. To his relief, and Harry's, it worked, the door giving way to Harry's bodily attempts to get it open and thus causing him to plow right into the blonde on the other side. Letting out a surprised yell and almost dropping his wand, Draco managed to grab his partner as they fell. They fell in a heap of limbs, Draco on his bum and Harry in his lap, still wriggling and gasping in his attempts to escape a prison that didn't exist anymore. Pretty soon Draco was shouting.

"Harry! Dammit Potter calm down!" he commanded, getting his partner by the shoulders of his jacket and shaking him out of his frenzied stupor.

Emerald green eyes blinked, losing their distant look to focus on Draco, the raven looking positively pitiful as he righted himself so they were both sitting on the dusty floor. "S-sorry…I just…" he bit his lip, looking away, whispering. "Sorry."

"Bloody hell man, what just happened?" Draco demanded, caught between childish anger that there was one more secret the man was keeping from him and wariness on how to proceed, sensing the man next to him was fragile.

Seeming to come back to himself, Harry spoke with more of his usual tone, blinking as if he'd just come out of some kind of trance. "I…I was scouting around when something just pushed me into the closet, slammed the door behind me. E-everything was dark and I couldn't get the damn door open. I sure as Hades wasn't about to blow a hole in the wall but…I _had_ to get out! _I had to!_" he insisted, his face twisted with emotional pain as he raised his clawed hands, his knuckles and fingers an angry red from his attempts to escape.

Grabbing him by the shoulders again, Draco gave him another gentle shake. "Alright, alright! Just take a breath, pull yourself together." Harry didn't respond, only nodding as he obeyed, the blonde eventually letting him go to eye him cautiously. "I didn't know you were claustrophobic."

Harry stiffened but shook his head, not looking at him. "It's not exactly something I like to advertise. J-just make sure that doesn't happen okay?"

"Fine by me. I almost got trapped in the basement which is bigger but just as dark so I know how you feel…sort of." Draco responded, letting out a sniff of disgust as he got up and swatted away at the dust stuck to his clothes.

Rising to do the same, Harry's mood lightened as he snickered, also dusting himself off before helping his partner out. "Heaven forbid a holier-than-thou Malfoy gets stuck in a dusty muggle basement."

"There were spider webs down there! One was particularly intricate so that ups the chances I could've been bitten! You're lucky there weren't rats too." Draco told him, shivering at the thought of the rodents scurrying around, hoping to get their little teeth into him. "And I'm not about to forget what just happened either. We've been partners for years and you didn't tell me? That's something you don't keep from your partner Harry." He growled, scowling as Harry ducked his head bashfully.

"I can't exactly bring something like that up in casual conversation." The raven told him, sounding honestly sorry about keeping such a thing hidden. "I did plan on telling you but I could never find the right moment and it kept slipping my mind."

"Well I guess there's no avoiding it now. Let's finish up and get these two bumbling fools to the cells so we can eat something. It's almost lunchtime by my clock." Draco stated in his ever-haughty, aristocratic tone.

Blinking at this shift in subject, Harry couldn't help but let a smile curl his lips in a strange mix of confusion and humor. "You don't even have a watch!"

"There's always the Tempus Charm, Potter. Do use your brain will you?" the blonde returned, already levitating one of the unconscious men out the door, knowing his partner would mirror him as he followed.

From behind him, he could tell the raven had that annoying Gryffindor grin on his handsome face. "About that, why do you keep calling me 'Potter' when you were just calling me Harry?" he asked, mirth clear in his voice, using the moment to his advantage to poke at the blonde.

"I'm not so insensitive to let you suffer, going so far as using your name as I must to snap you out of your fear-fueled stupor." Draco growled, already at the stairs and heading to the door, wanting to use the living room to apparate from without fear of splinching. "And you called me 'Draco' so we're even."

"Uh-huh. That's believable." Harry muttered in mock ire.

Naturally it stoked Draco's very real frustration. "Stuff it Potter."

"There you go again!" the raven exclaimed, chuckling when Draco just growled at him in response.

They continued arguing up until finally apparating into the Ministry with their catch of the day, the two men still stunned and bound to the small desk where the tight-faced witch who manned it sat. Without a word she handed them a pair of clipboards of paperwork to fill out, the pair obediently using the provided quills to do so. Levitating the scruffy men into their respective cells, the Auror partners quietly made it to the elevator, through the bustling halls and all the way to their office before daring to start arguing again. Given how they'd just about strangled each other in their first year together, Kingsley commanding them to get along or end up sacked, they knew to keep it to themselves so to avoid another scene. Behind closed doors however, the former school rivals either fell into a stubborn silence or went at one another like enraged animals. The fights continued for certain, only they had gone from being about their childish agitations to simply over who had the better theory of how their latest case had been committed by their sometimes nameless quarry. It was such to the point where their coworkers knew when best to avoid either man or simply wait until they were in the halls, sometimes using the rare bouts of quiet to intrude on them with their own issues. Teaching Harry's dog form to tell a wizard by his magical signature had been a challenge in their second year but was best used in tracking down their repeat offenders. Other Aurors had even asked for Harry's help in case their assignment fell under that category. The raven had relented save that he be rewarded for his efforts, rarely for credit in the arrest when the other party had nothing to give. More than one had made the very grave mistake of calling Harry the 'Ministry's Pet' and other less flattering names, earning equal amounts of enraged barking or hexing from the raven though he was certain Draco and his friends had done mostly hexing on his behalf.

Another more reasonable name Harry had earned amongst his coworkers was 'Grim' or 'Shadow' since he could move with an eerily silent grace through the halls both as a wizard and as a dog, sometimes only his claws clacking on whatever hard surface that existed underfoot to give him away. Many a criminal caught by Harry in his dog form recalled seeing the eyes before seeing the jaws, hearing the barking and feeling the pain as they were overwhelmed by the heavy beast. A number of Ministry workers claimed they were often scared out of their wits when Harry 'appeared from nowhere' on them when both parties were working late, the raven vanishing or appearing seemingly at will and without the loud crack of apparition. One witch in Records was scared to the point of not wanting to be in the same room with him, at least for the first six months before Harry finally cornered her and explained himself. He often visited her at her desk either to get hard-to-find information or just to talk, even appearing like the ghost she once believed him to be as a joke. As a result, Harry became quite adept at cleaning charms and catching the falling items with either his hands or his wand, smoothing things over with his brilliant smile. Today the pair spent the rest of their work day getting through their backlogged paperwork, spending the next few hours in a calm silence that allowed Harry to be oblivious to Draco's whirling mind on exactly why it had taken his partner of three years so long to reveal such a personal detail. Granted it'd been by mere coincidence but the fact still nagged at the blonde. He could only wonder. _Just what else is he hiding from me?_

Any good? I should hope so, since I've been agonizing over this for almost two months now. In the end, I think I did well. Ready for more? Well take a gander for what's to come in:

Next chapter:

Chapter 2: Bad Dog Day

Life is never easy for Harry and friends, since his luck likes to be fickle, right along with the ups and downs of his job. With the past, and the future, rearing its ugly head, can Harry get through his nine-to-five job without being attacked or worse? What devious plots do I have in mind? Find out when '_Shadow Of A Doubt_' returns with:

_**Chapter 2: Bad Dog Day!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Bad Dog Day

Yes, more proof that I can't help myself. And yes, I've got Drarry fever like nobody's business if I'm coming up with so much in such a short time. I swear I spent as much time writing this as I did proofing it. Just shows how obsessive I've become for some reason. Anyway, I don't own HP because I can live with just the books and DVDs. Enjoy!

"Iii" = speech

_Iii_ = thought

Chapter 2: Bad Dog Day

Harry stumbled into the hall of Grimmauld Place Number 12 with something akin to drunkenness. But it wasn't alcohol that made him falter, but fatigue which was just as bad if he wanted to get to the kitchen for something to eat. It had been a long week of running around, in search of the rest of the smuggling ring he and Draco had managed to get ahold of just days earlier but so far they had yet to turn up. That and turning into a dog every day was really taking its toll on the raven, hating himself for not being able to muster enough energy to check in with his friends and his godson to assure them of his wellbeing. He knew once he called, Hermione would probably take his head off for waiting so long to contact her and Ron but would eventually understand. They all had taxing jobs with Ron heading the Analysis section of the Aurors and Hermione working in Magical Creature Law when she wasn't working on spell theory and other 'small projects'. Add in their rambunctious toddler daughter Rose and it was the epitome of hectic, only reminding Harry that he had no one. He had broken up with Ginny during their repeat year, letting her down easy and thankful the young ginger didn't react poorly. It took her a few months but she eventually found someone in Theodore Nott of all people, both he and Ron giving the brunette dark looks bad enough to make the Slytherin cringe. Eventually they cornered him and warned him if anything happened to Ginny and it was his fault, not even the Aurors would find what was left of him. The brunette had blanched bone white since the whole school knew the two teens were training to be Aurors, meaning his chances of getting away were slim to none. Still he had promised that he had pure intentions toward the only Weasley girl, a speech he had to repeat to the twins as well as the older Weasley boys still hanging around after the final battle to help with the repairs. Of all the siblings, Percy was the only one to remain at a distance, only saying he needed time to overcome the war and its travesties before even trying to reunite with his family. When he finally did, it had been a tense affair at first only to become nothing but hugs and tearful laughter when they parted hours later.

As far as he knew, Bill was in France with Fleur while Charlie was still working with dragons, the twins Fred and George running their joke shop in Diagon Alley with every intention of opening a second in Hogsmeade. Word on the Ministry grapevine had been the Arthur had finally been promoted and Ginny was working for the Quidditch Regulations Division, likely to take advantage of being able to watch the sport whenever she was asked to be present. From what Harry knew, she was staying in the office most of the time with her first baby on the way, making travel difficult. Harry and Ron visited her numerous times to make sure she wasn't overdoing it and stressing herself out, also ensuring her coworkers kept a close eye on the young woman in case of trouble. Since Theo went on to be an advocate at a private firm, the brunette was often around between cases to check on his wife, sometimes glancing around as if to be sure neither Ron nor Harry was going to appear and threaten him again.

Harry nearly stumbled again, bracing himself against a wall as his body protested to his constant need to be upright, spine aching from all the running he'd done. Chasing down suspects in dog form was harder than it looked, especially since Harry often found it fun along with tiring given the way his beaten body dissented in the form of aches and pains. His foot hit a table with a vase of flowers on it, making the porcelain item wobble in a way that had Harry concerned it would fall and break. He really liked that vase, having gotten some help from his myriad of friends on decorating the house once he finished setting it to rights after Hogwarts. Taking a sledgehammer to the long dead Black family matriarch's shrieking portrait had been very satisfying, knowing that even if Narcissa was interested in her aunt's painting, it would probably be to help him get rid of it. Draco too given the one time he visited while Harry was renovating, the blonde had blanched at the image of the woman and was forced to talk to her for almost three hours. The dark glare he gave Harry afterwards told him he'd die slowly if he told anyone, though Harry was too busy cackling at the man to really care. Besides, the ancient house was all he had left even though he had numerous property holdings when he inherited the Black fortune along with the Potter one. But he knew he couldn't exactly go to Godric's Hollow and reclaim his parent's house, though he'd only visited it once or twice to collect various items that belonged to his lost relatives and left the rest to rot. A loud pop nearly jolted Harry into falling over as his new house elf Nipper appeared to steady the vase and its display of sunset lilies, the energetic being looking at him with large orbs of disapproving blue.

"Master Harry is not to be destroying his own property. Nipper is not liking when things are broken." The elf scolded him, staring at the weary raven from his spot on the table. Being free, Nipper had taken to wearing Harry's old t-shirts from when he was still wearing Dudley's hand-me-downs. Harry had gone out of his way to make sure the elf had socks and shoes for when it was cold, including an old jacket Harry shrunk to better fit the elf, the normally sour-faced being relenting when his master wouldn't drop the matter. After Kreacher's death, Harry had been reluctant to get a new elf but had caved when he found that his job kept him from being able to maintain his home properly. Of all the elves to choose, in spite of Hermione's disapproval over his decision, Nipper was certainly an interesting one.

Giving the elf a contrite smile, Harry nodded as he righted himself. "Sorry Nipper, I'm just tired. What did you make today?"

"Nipper made some beef stew with biscuits for Master Harry, waiting for him to get home to eat it. Master Harry is very late tonight." Nipper scolded, hopping down from the table to lead his master toward the kitchen, pulling on the man's hand to make sure he followed.

"It's been a long week and our case is getting nowhere. Plus they have me shifting all the time so that's just adding to the problem." Harry stated with a tired sigh, letting the insistent being lead him along, deciding to change the subject. "Did you eat yet?"

Blue eyes glanced up at him but the elf only kept on jabbering in an almost nagging fashion that Harry was accustomed to. "Master Harry shouldn't worry about Nipper that much, since Nipper is quite good at taking care of himself, unlike his master. Master Harry will be eating now that he's home before heading to bed." The elf said in a stern voice as he let go of Harry long enough to pull out one of the chairs at the table, where a mat had already been set with a bowl of the stew waiting.

"Yes, I will but you didn't answer my question." Harry pressed even as he sat, smirking at how the elf had kept a Warming Charm going on both the stew and the biscuits. Just the smell of the brew and the meat made Harry want to fall asleep since the warmth would be enough.

Next to him, the elf was being dodgy in terms of finally answering his question, a side effect of having harsh owners before Harry. "Nipper had a share of the stew but only to taste it. Nipper made certain it tasted right, just the way master likes it." the elf insisted, face creased with concern over Harry's potential reaction.

To the elf's surprise, the raven only grinned. "And I appreciate that but I feel better when you tell me that you ate something."

"Nipper is aware of this, and has informed Master Harry. Now master must eat his share while Nipper gets the bath ready." The elf stated, moving to leave rather than apparate. The last time the elf had done so when Harry was eating, he'd nearly choked on his food at the being's unannounced appearance.

"Thanks Nip, I'll try not to fall asleep at the table this time." Harry called as he picked up the fork to stab at a piece of meat that fell apart under the pressure only to collapse deliciously in his mouth, filling him with its warmth and strong flavor.

"Nipper will hold Master Harry to that." The elf called back, the quiet pop of apparition the only sign of his departure as Harry dug into his meal, grateful that the quirky being truly did know how to cook. He was able to finish his meal as promised, forcing his tired body to rise to get the stairs and to the bathroom, finding that Nipper had been true to his word in getting the tub ready. Knowing the elf would pick them up, Harry discarded his clothes and stepped into the hot bubbly water, sighing with relief when tense muscles loosened. It was so relaxing, so freeing, Harry almost forgot to wash himself, ever struggling to remain conscious enough to get the job done. Getting out, the cold air was a wake-up call of sorts that had Harry shivering, tempting him to sit back into the cooling water but knew better. The last time he'd done that, he'd ended up being horribly pruned as well as cold. Grabbing a few towels, Harry dried himself off as he made his way to his room, having claimed Regulus's and leaving his godfather Sirius's untouched. He had thought about taking the master bedroom but the space was just too big to him, best reserved for guests or whenever he got around to finding a partner. Since breaking up with Ginny, Harry had tried to date but only found that all his potential matches were more interested in his fame and power than him personally. On top of that, when the papers learned he was dating men as well as women, it was like they'd gone mad in discovering everything about his non-existent love life. After finding more than one reporter trying to hound him in the Ministry hallway, Harry nearly lost his well-known control, coming dangerously close to cursing them into St. Mungo's if it meant they got the hint. To this day, he still burned the letters he got from both the press and his gushy stalkers and fans, if one could call them that. The only mail he trusted was from his new barn owl, the rather fair-looking avian he'd named Demeter to which the bird had taken rather kindly to. It wasn't the same as Hedwig, the mere thought of the snowy owl making Harry's heart clench painfully and how she'd taken a curse for him some months before he'd ended the war himself. Last he checked, Demeter was in the study on her perch, making a mental note to give the owl some attention before leaving for work the next morning as he found something to wear. Knowing it wouldn't take him long to go to sleep after slipping on some boxers and sleep pants, the raven put his wand and glasses on the nightstand without turning to his Sleeping Draught to take him to oblivion. Head on the pillow and settling under the sheets, Harry was asleep in moments, distantly hoping it would last.

Come morning, Harry found himself well-rested for once, grateful that nothing pressing had come up as he rose with a yawn and a stretch. Pulling on a shirt and a robe, he crossed the hall to the bath to wash the night's sleep off his face before going downstairs to see if Nipper had breakfast ready yet. On the way there, Harry sidetracked himself to check on Demeter as he'd mentally promised himself only to find the bird was absent. Puzzled, and knowing the avian wouldn't be in any other rooms unless she was hunting for mice, Harry continued his trek to the kitchen anyway. There he was glad to see that Nipper was indeed hard at work on breakfast, pancakes with bacon strips, while the coffee maker sputtered as it dispensed the dark brew and filling the room with its hearty aroma. Greeting the elf with a smile, Harry went right for it, knowing his cook wouldn't object. "Morning Nipper."

The elf turned to look at him, his round face becoming bright with an answering smile, once again dressed in one of Dudley's old shirts. "Good morning Master Harry sir. Nipper is almost done with breakfast if master is inclined to waiting." He said as he worked the spatula just right to flip over one of the cakes, the upturned side already golden brown.

"That's fine Nipper. Have you seen Demeter? She wasn't in the study." Harry commented as he poured his coffee into one of the mugs he'd gotten from the cupboard, turning to face the elf after putting in some sugar to sweeten it.

At that Nipper scowled in clear bafflement with a hint of concern, something Harry knew was due to Nipper's rather quaint friendship with the owl. "The owl Demeter left sometime last night after Master Harry got home and Nipper knows not where she went sir. Nipper will be making sure she's let back in whenever she returns as master would like." The elf added on as he refocused on his task.

Chuckling, knowing the elf would let the owl in no matter what, Harry went along with the elf's poor charade. "I would like that. The weather is getting along toward winter and I'd rather she not be out longer than she has to. Is the paper in yet?"

"On the table for Master Harry. That nasty Skeeter woman has been trying to write ill of Master Harry again." Nipper growled with disdain, having been forced to remove the pushy woman off their doorstep more than once. Harry had never seen a house elf get so angry and red-faced before.

Taking a seat at the table, Harry shrugged as he casually perused the articles, ignoring the charmed various pictures and their adjoining tripe. Sometimes he wondered why he still read the '_Prophet_' when most of what was written was either lies or slander anyway. "That's nothing new, though if she ever does try anything untoward I'm sure you'll be able to handle her."

From across the room, Harry could easily hear the dark smile on the elf's face. "Nipper will keep a close eye out for the lying beetle for certain Master Harry sir." He said, prior to appearing with a plate stacked with food. "Breakfast is ready sir."

"Thanks Nip. Have you eaten at all?" Harry asked, glancing at the paper between cutting into the stack of pancakes, making sure they were laden with syrup before consuming them. Every time it was like he was eating clouds.

"Nipper enjoyed some of the apples allowed to him, along with a bit of toast from the last loaf of bread. Nipper did not believe master would like eating the end slice." The elf informed him casually, having become accustomed to his new master's odd habit of actually talking to the being who was meant to serve and little else.

"No, I never did care for those." Harry remarked with a frown, trying to remember when last he or Nipper had gone shopping. "Are we low on provisions?"

"There are certain things Nipper will be needing for the coming week. Did Master Harry want Nipper to go shopping?" the elf asked, obviously thinking along the same lines.

Harry nodded, knowing that his long hours at work were probably affecting his ability to help his elf keep house. "I don't see why not. Draw up a list and I'll be sure to give you an allowance for the items we need. How soon can you do it?"

Next to him, Nipper nodded in turn, accepting his response. "Before master leaves for work, if master is willing to wait long enough for Nipper to compile a complete list."

"Not a problem, unless I'm urged to leave faster. I don't think I need to show up for another hour so don't rush yourself." Harry told him, earning a scowl from the elf.

"Nipper knows better than to rush, but will do as master asks. Master Harry will eat before his food gets cold." Nipper scolded, smirking in spite of himself, both of them knowing it was a joke between them. Of all the humans, Nipper knew his was odd but thankfully kind.

"Like I need any encouragement." Harry returned with a grin, not bothering to watch the elf wander away, muttering to himself about the different things they needed.

Nearly an hour later, Nipper reappeared as promised with the list, Harry true to his own word in doing a quick pricelist in his head and giving the elf the needed coins to purchase the items before the end of the day. Quickly changing into a casual suit and his Auror coat, the thick brown material enough to hold off autumn's chill, Harry was about to step outside to apparate to work when a tapping at the window called him to the study where he rushed to let Demeter in. The barn owl fluttered into the room, her pale face and gold and brown feathers a beautiful contrast against the warm colors of the shelves and furniture he'd chosen. Coming back in a lazy circle to land on his shoulder just as Harry closed the window again, the raven smiled at the bird in relief. "There you are my lovely. I meant to find you last night but Nipper said you'd gone. I was worried you know."

The owl gave him a lamenting coo and hum, rubbing her feathered head against his in apology before bringing his attention to the letter in her beak. Harry frowned, finding it odd that the letter would be in her mouth and not on her leg, accepted it anyway, calling to Nipper to get the owl some food. With both elf and owl distracted, Harry took the time to examine the envelope and the fact it was made of processed paper rather than parchment like he was accustomed to by now. Turning it around, the address was simply '_Harry Potter, Wherever He May Be_'. He didn't recognize the hand it was written in and could tell it was written in ballpoint rather than with a quill. It wasn't until he looked at the sender's information that his blood ran cold in his veins. Harry blinked several times, even taking off his glasses to make sure that they weren't tricking him somehow. Never in his life did he expect anything from, as the small lettering told him, '_Dudley Dursley, 303 Ramsden Rd., Godalming, Surrey_'.

Harry stood there, trapped between a myriad of emotions he couldn't identify and utter shock. It had been nearly eight years since he'd seen his oversized and spoiled rotten cousin, their last meeting on the eve of his leaving that terrible house forever where the sandy blonde had surprised him by attempting to make amends. The moment had been awkward but Harry had accepted his cousin's words, as odd as they were. Holding the crisp paper in his hands, Harry could only feel disbelief that his cousin would contact him after so much time. This quickly brought to mind that Demeter had probably sensed in her own magical way that his cousin had needed to contact him, hence why she'd flown off when she had. Knowing that if he pocketed it now, it would just burn a hole in his brain until he opened it, he ended up turning it around to tear at the seal with a satisfying rip of paper. Pulling out the folded paper, lined and obviously from some kind of notepad, Harry tore off the bandage and revealed his cousin's words as spoken in careful lines of ink.

'_Dear Harry,_

_I have no idea if you'll feel inclined to even read this, much less respond, but things have taken a turn for me where I have no choice but to seek you out. Your owl stayed at my house through the two hours I spent writing and rewriting this letter, though I thought it odd it wasn't the white one I recall you having. She, after some prodding, was oddly patient enough to wait for me to finish writing and only pecked at me when I misspelled a word. It's strange, getting editing advice from an owl…._

_But I'm rambling. Like you probably have, I've moved on from that little house on Privet Drive and have gotten married. My son, William, is showing signs I recall from when you were his age and today his latest outburst was very worrying. Being the only person from the same world he clearly belongs in, I have no choice but to seek you out for help. I shall wait for your reply, should you decide to do so. Know that I honestly hope that you will, despite everything that my parents did to you._

_Your cousin,_

_Dudley_'

Harry stared at the neat writing in pure, undeniable shock. His cousin's son was a muggleborn wizard? That alone showed that his family's inclination to magic was still present, even if it had skipped a generation or two. He was in such a daze that when Nipper's voice broke the quiet, the raven-haired wizard jumped. "Master Harry must be going if he wishes to be on time for work."

"Sorry Nipper, I…got distracted." Harry said lamely, folding up the letter and stuffing it into his pocket though he'd meant to put it on his desk. _Now it'll just bug me all day._ He thought as he continued. "I may be late for dinner again."

The elf watched him, as if trying to figure out why his normally jovial human was suddenly so put down but didn't question it. "Master Harry does as Master Harry wishes, but Nipper still wishes him to have a good day."

"Thanks, I should be home by ten at the latest." Harry told him, moving to leave like he had intended in the first place.

"Nipper will be waiting." The elf told him, shutting the door and leaving Harry no choice but to head for the apparition point to head for the Ministry. With any luck, Hermione would already be in her office.

"Bloody hell, are you serious? That git really sent this?" Ron asked, blue eyes dark with the few memories he had of Dudley and Privet Drive, having come along into Hermione's office when he'd spotted Harry in the halls.

From her spot behind her desk, Hermione scowled at her husband with her usual look of disapproval. "Ron, honestly!" the brunette grumbled, earning an apologetic nod from the ginger before addressing their friend. "I may not know all that much about this cousin of yours Harry, but even I know you can't ignore this. From what I'm reading, he really does need help from you in keeping his son's magic from going out of control. The least you can do is check in on them, see what's going on."

"I know but…it's been eight years! Why now? I don't think my magic was causing any problems at such a young age of maybe five years old? Four? It's bad enough he doesn't go into detail." He muttered, knowing he was just making excuses.

Next to him, Ron's face had sobered up considerably, looking at the raven with hard eyes. "As much as I'm loathe to do it, Hermione's right. You can't just ignore this. That prat's still your family and that kid could be one incident away from big trouble. You might as well get ahead of things if you want to make sure the kid doesn't blow up his own house or somethin'."

"Yeah but…I guess I'm having trouble getting over the fact that he's actually asking for my help. It's so surreal." Harry admitted, leaning back in the guest chair, examining the folded piece of paper as if it were an enigma he needed to solve.

"But it must be true if he's sent this, even though he had no real way of contacting you. I think you should give him a chance. See what happens." Hermione told him, brown eyes steady in her conviction. Of all his friends, Hermione was definitely the most sensible.

"She's right mate. I may not like the bugger but maybe this might be your chance to get past some things. I say go, get it out of your system." Ron affirmed, the ginger sounding dead serious for once.

Glancing between the pair, Harry nodded hesitantly. "I'll think about it."

"What's wrong with you Potter? You've been staring at that page for the past two minutes and it's irking me." Draco snarled from across the room, making Harry start at the ire in the blonde's voice. He'd shown up to their office and had gotten right to work shortly after talking to his friends, the letter indeed burning a hole in his pocket and if Draco was right, his brain while it was at it.

"What?" Harry asked dumbly, his mind recalling everything that had happened in the past few hours and the raven deflated. "Oh. Just…thinking." He muttered lowly, unsure if the blonde really cared or if he just wanted Harry to focus.

Ever the prat, Draco smirked at him, the expression a welcome sight at this point. "Didn't I warn you that was damaging to your health? Honestly Potter, just let me do all the thinking. It's safer."

Unable to keep from smiling at the obvious jab, Harry snorted. "Yeah right. And you'll probably just make an even bigger mess than the one we have to clean up."

"I take offense to that, but don't change the subject: what's wrong?" Draco demanded, his voice oddly stern, killing the light mood they'd created.

Once again, Harry hesitated, leaning back in his chair as he finally admitted. "Just something that I wasn't expecting."

Draco blinked but otherwise didn't react to the statement. "Like what?"

"A letter…from a relative came this morning." Harry stated in a hesitant tone, not looking the blonde in the eye.

The predicted reaction is almost immediate, the man's jaw dropping and closing several times before the words come forth in an enraged hiss. "Those horrible muggles, your old tormentors and most hated acquaintances that did a shit job of raising you?"

"No, my cousin." Harry says, a tad too quickly even in his own mind, knowing the blonde wouldn't react well to know it was from the two worst people on the planet. Hell, Harry knew he wouldn't react any better, maybe ripping the letter apart instead of answering. "He needs my help but I'm kind of conflicted on what to do."

"Let me see." The blonde was suddenly up and crossing the room, pale hand extended even as Harry stared at him, shocked. Annoyed, Draco simply curled his lip with impatience. "I know you, you bugger, so hand it over." Blinking at the command, and knowing the blonde was right, Harry was a bit predictable in affairs dealing with his emotional state. Even in school Harry's mood was kept in a delicate balance of sadness, rage and joy that varied depending on the day or the events. Not about to deny the other man, the raven pulled the folded piece of note paper from his pocket to hold out warily. With no amount of apology, the paper was snatched from his grip, grey eyes quickly scanning what was written maybe three times before looking down at his partner. "You went to your friends about this?"

Knowing it was useless to deny it, Harry nodded. "Yes, they suggested that I respond. Or at least show up. I haven't thought about them in ages and it's just throwing me off."

For what felt like forever, the blonde simply stared at him, orbs of silver hard to read even as he folded the letter up and dropped it onto his partner's desk. "Then go and see him. See what this cousin of yours wants. If he's so desperate to be begging for help then it would be remiss of you to ignore him. He does say that he's waiting for you to respond so write him back already!" the blonde declared, making his way back to his desk to plop back into his chair, eyeing Harry with a hint of concern upon adding. "I'll come with you if you're so reluctant."

"No, it's fine. I'll deal with it myself." Harry responded, returning the letter to his pocket so it wouldn't become lost in the sea of papers covering his desk. "Thanks Malfoy."

"Just get yourself together before we have to go on another stake-out. Not much of a police dog if you're distracted." The blonde drawled lazily, looking down at the page before him with an air or boredom, as if the conversation they just had didn't happen to begin with.

Harry couldn't help but let his face split with an amused grin. "You've been watching the telly again!" he exclaimed, mirth coming into his green eyes for the first time that day.

At that, it was Draco's turn to blink, the blonde swiftly looking away to avoid his partner's gaze. "Research Potter, and nothing else."

"I believe you." Harry managed to say in a suddenly cool tone, though his smile was a dead giveaway.

From the way Draco ducked his head, fighting down a blush, he knew the blonde was aware he was lying. They left to survey the house they'd been visiting all week to see if anyone tried to approach it in order to find their product or their missing friends but same as before, no one appeared. Instead, Harry was chased by a gaggle of children back and forth across the park greens with Draco looking on with laughter ringing from between his pale lips, eyes twinkling with mirth as the raven was chased relentlessly. When the owners of the uncouth children finally called them away, Harry didn't hesitate to return to Draco, using a tree to hide behind and change back without being noticed. Even then he was still fairly winded from the exercise, glaring at his partner who continued to howl until Harry silenced him with a Stinging Hex right on his high-class buttocks, making him yelp instead. As Harry walked, with Draco limping along after him, the raven ignored his partner's glaring as they went back to the apparition point to return to the Ministry and sign out for the day.

Apparating to Godalming had taken all of a few minutes, the raven-haired Auror ever punctual in keeping with the note he'd sent telling his cousin he'd be arriving at eight. Stopping at home to drop off his cloak in favor of his coat and scarf, more to fend off the autumn chill than appear like every other person in the small town, Harry wandered the long stretch of road that was Ramsden. Hermione had told him the wizarding community in the college town was fairly small so he needn't worry about some random stranger tripping over themselves just to talk to him. With each house and its identifying number, Harry found himself lost in the mere normality of the place, and how each house had its share of imperfections: toys in the yard, gardens in varying stages of growing, cars that were several years old but sturdy if their maintenance was to be believed. It was certainly a world away from Privet Drive and the Dursleys' obsessive need to be perfect no matter what. Finally coming across 303 and its white fence, Harry examined the home with more scrutiny than normal, taking in everything from the windows to the climbing ivy crowding the door. The car was a sedan, dark colored and a few years old but obviously reliable if they still had it though it looked like it needed a wash. For some reason, there was a second car, a much newer and cleaner one though who it belonged to didn't bother him. It was common for working couples to have two cars if that was the case. Taking a glance at his watch, Harry found it was just a minute until eight, moving to open the gate and head for the door so not to look like someone with bad intentions standing on the sidewalk like he had. Shoes tapping against the paved stone, Harry forced himself to calm as he did before going into an interrogation back at work, all confidence and knowing half the answers but all the questions. His only hope now was that hid demeanor held out in the face of whatever lay beyond the door before him, the creamy white door with its bronze knocker the only remaining barrier between him and something new as well as dreaded. _It's too late to chicken out now, might as well get on with it._ He thought, pressing a gloved finger to the doorbell, hearing the chime go off in the belly of the house, prompting distant scrambling and muffled words.

It took Harry everything he had not to frown as the muffled voices became more urgent as they got closer, his blood turning cold as the air around him when a very familiar one sounded off just beyond the door. "—don't see why I can't get it Pumpkin, I just want to see who your mystery guest is!"

_The other car. Shit, __**they're**__ here._ Harry thought as Petunia's voice was joined by another one. "Mum, wait please! Just let me, it's only reasonable." A deep voice tried to argue, probably Dudley since the older woman had used one of his many nicknames.

Only Dudley wasn't fast enough and Harry was rooted to the spot as the door swung open, revealing his aunt in all her horse faced glory, wearing a slimming dress of burgundy to match her dark curls. Next to her, Dudley had indeed changed over the years, still sandy blonde and blue eyed but taller and thinner than Harry last recalled with barely an ounce of fat to be seen anywhere. He was smartly dressed in a baby blue shirt and grey slacks, having noticed Harry first since his eyes became wide with surprise and apology as the woman kept right on talking. "Don't be rude son, I'm sure it's…alright." She muttered, her dark eyes having finally fallen on the man at the door, her nephew and proverbial bane of her life. Her thin face practically unfolded into one of abject shock at seeing her nephew, even if he was nothing like the skinny, poorly dressed boy she remembered.

Harry didn't need a mirror to tell him he probably looked ashen in facing the people before him, subconsciously backing away to give the woman room lest she try to strike at him for simply being there. Probably in an effort to salvage the situation, Dudley was moving forward to act as a barrier, eyeing Harry as if to make sure he didn't disappear. "Why don't you go back in and make sure the roast is done Mum? We really shouldn't keep our guest waiting in the cold."

His words were obviously enough to break the trance, Petunia blinking to glance at her son to speak absently. "Y-yes you're right, my dear. I-I'll go help tend to it now." Petunia said in a shaky voice, her face white as she turned to head back into the house, daring to give Harry a quick glance that he couldn't read. Every fiber of his being told him to leave but he was too rooted to the spot to even consider apparating away, witnesses be damned.

He wasn't given time to ponder it as Dudley blocked his view, more muscle than fat now, his curiously handsome face marred by concern for his cousin. "Harry-."

"Why is she here?" Harry demanded in a low hiss, asking even though he knew he should've taken into account that his aunt and uncle might be there in the midst of his hastily scheduled arrival. "Why are _they_ here?" he found himself demanding in spite of his brain providing the answer. _You practically rushed over and gave them no warning, that's why._

Dudley winced but didn't back down. "They insisted on coming. I would've warned you had I known. Your owl didn't exactly stay to take any reply." He countered, voice oddly soft, like a negotiator speaking kindly to his opponent to avoid hostile action.

Sighing, Harry rubbed at his nose and eyes, the stress knocking any fight he had at the other man's statement right out of him. "No, it's…that's probably my fault. I guess we both set ourselves up for trouble."

"That's one way of putting it, yes." Dudley returned with a chuckle, moving to let his cousin into the house. As the door clicked shut and Harry shed his gloves, he heard his cousin ask in a soft tone. "What happened to the white owl you had?"

Harry stiffened without meaning to, knowing his face was cast in shadow. "She…she died. That night, when I left." Shedding his jacket and letting his cousin hang it on the rack by the door, he added with a sad voice. "She was trying to protect me from the men out to hurt me."

"I'm sorry." Dudley responded after a moment, honest regret painted over his features. In the two years before he left, Dudley knew better than anyone how much he cared for Hedwig. He could easily recall how in the summer when Harry had been locked up in his old room, the boy had been a right mess but the few glimpses he got of the owl proved that most of his meager provisions went to the bird. Never once did he see the owl look dirty or even underfed, the paper in the bottom of its cage fresh, all signs just how much he cared about the bird. To know the other man's only pet, and maybe only friend during those years under his family's roof was gone seemed like another sign that things had changed drastically since the raven had vanished from their lives.

Harry shook his head, not wanting to think about that night and the months that followed not far after. "No, it's fine. Let's…let's just get through this and hope no one ends up strangled."

Dudley only nodded and led the way to the back of the house through the hall, past a stairwell and a large doorway leading to the living room Harry scanned it for the full ten seconds he had to look to find it was almost like the one at Privet Drive, only with better furniture and paper. Whoever Dudley had married had good taste, unlike the man's parents. He found the same could be said of the kitchen and the impressive table that held the elder couple, a boy with dark hair and blue eyes, and a toddler with golden locks in a pink onesie in a high chair. The table was evenly decorated, each place mat bearing a tasteful set of plates with matching silverware, the napkins matching if by a shade. Already there was a massive bowl of mashed potatoes and another with cooked carrots on the table, sitting on the maroon runner that matched the deep brown of the table. Already sitting in her chair, Petunia glanced at him warily before looking to her husband seated next to her. The white-haired man, still plump and unpleasant, seemed to be fighting the urge to get up and throw Harry out the window. He could only imagine the reason the man wasn't busting a vein screaming at him was due to Petunia's interference. That and not wanting to create a scene that ruined whatever opinion the lady of the house had of him.

Thankfully, the appearance of a rather lovely brunette with eyes of dazzling hazel kept Vernon from imploding in rage, making Harry blink at the woman's equally mesmerizing smile that was such a huge contradiction to the tense atmosphere. The fact she was wearing a cream, long-sleeved shirt and a deep indigo skirt and neither was blemished by stains or baby mess was astonishing to him. "Hello, you must be Harry. I'm Cynthia."

"Good evening. I hope I'm not imposing." Harry responded with what he hoped to be a matching amount of pleasantness, unable to keep from hiding his mild embarrassment for appearing otherwise unannounced.

"Not at all, have a seat." Cynthia told him, giving him no chance to object as she turned back to the kitchen area and the stove. Patting him on the shoulder, Dudley followed his wife to inspect the oven's contents, possibly to see if it was done yet.

Taking the seat across from the two people in the whole world he hated the most, across from Petunia who was by far the lesser of them, he was intent on ignoring them until the horse-faced woman let out a small greeting. "Harry."

"Aunt Petunia." He responded coolly enough, making it icy for her companion. "Uncle Vernon."

"Harry." The fat man grit out, his jowls shaking, hot rage hidden under a surprising amount of frigid control. He clearly had enough manners not to call him 'boy', not when there were children and an ignorant woman around. The mere thought of it had Harry wanting to hex the man simply for breathing.

A voice from his immediate left, the boy's, broke the moment with a very out of place jovial exclamation to the newcomer. "Hi! Are you the magic man?" the child asked, making Harry blink as he turned his attention to the boy, probably no older than five if he gauged it right.

"I am. I'm your uncle Harry. You must be William." Harry responded with a kind smile, pointedly ignoring his aunt and uncle, the fat man looking more irritated and the skinny woman oddly curious.

"Uh-huh! That's my sister Iris. She doesn't say much." The boy said, pointing to the baby watching them with hazel eyes from her high chair just next to him as her tiny hands clung to a plastic toy ring with what looked like keys on it. From his past experience, Harry could tell the little girl was at least a year and a half, if not two years old at least.

"Iris huh…." Harry stated, voice wistful, suddenly oblivious to everything else. "Pretty name for a pretty little girl."

Thankfully Cynthia's return, and the arrival of the freshly cut roast, brought Harry out of his stupor as she asked. "So, Harry, Dudley says you know something about William and his…outbursts." From the way she hesitated told Harry that his cousin had probably given her the basics, which is what only he and Petunia knew. Knowing Vernon, he didn't care save that his family kept producing 'freaks'. Iris's toy was taken away and the toddler was given a small plastic plate with carrots, green mush and a juice cup of bright pink with small handles for her equally small hands. The child had yet to start screaming for attention and Harry distantly wondered if that was a good thing. Noting that Cynthia grabbed her plate to put meat on it only to pass it down told him this was the protocol since Vernon passed it down to Petunia, on to Dudley who simply passed his back in turn. To his surprise, the blonde didn't hesitate to trade his for Harry's, signaling him to get his sides at will.

Nodding in response to the question as well as Dudley's move, Harry spoke in a potent tone he usually reserved for work and given the quiet, they probably hung on his every word. "I might. It's typical for certain traits to skip a generation regardless but it's bound to happen when dealing with this sort of thing. Mostly from the female side." He stated, the last bit pointed right at Vernon who turned a deep shade of red but didn't speak thanks to Petunia's hand on his arm.

"But it's common?" Cynthia asked, her face a calm mask, as if she sensed that his poke at Vernon was bound to create some blowback she couldn't control. Next to her, Iris was fiddling with her mashed food and tiny carrot sticks, her little hands already covered in what looked like peas. The baby's mother was already moving to keep the mess from extending further than the tiny tray that was part of the seat, the child's hazel orbs twinkling at the 'art' she'd made.

Once again nodding, letting his hostess's intervention cool him off, Harry continued on as if he hadn't stopped. "To a degree, depending mostly on the person's background but things like this do happen. As a half-blood my abilities are from both my parents. In this case, William's are probably coming from the dominant strain that holds the genes responsible for his abilities. People appearing at random with magical powers from otherwise powerless families isn't unheard of. In this case, it's Dudley's bloodline through Petunia, and my own mother, that's attributing to whatever's going on. In short, this sort of thing has been happening for hundreds of years and this situation really isn't that big of a surprise." He said between bites, finding the meat a little dry but tasty, the potatoes mashed just right and the carrots boiled to perfection. Glancing at his fellow diner past a sip of water, Harry shifted gears. "Tell me William, what have you been doing that has everyone so tense?"

Surprised he was being addressed, William blinked but quickly looked away to poke at his food. "Stuff."

"Stuff? Hmm sounds familiar. Strange stuff?" Harry pressed gently, not wanting to alarm the child by going too far but also keep the peace. His uncle was cutting into his meat like it had wronged him but otherwise didn't speak. Whatever Petunia had said to him was working in their favor.

Next to him, William was speaking again, morose at being accused of committing wrongs that weren't technically wrong. "Yeah! Stuff I didn't do, I swear!"

"Common ground I assure you. And what exactly has happened?" Harry inquired, briefly glancing at the boy's parents who were merely watching rather than adding to things. _Good, they're giving me leeway on how to handle this. That should keep things from getting too confusing for him._ Harry thought as the child finally spoke up.

"I…I may have turned my teacher's hair green." The boy told him, voice hesitant, as if he was certain Harry wouldn't believe him. Then he added, "And plant-like."

For a moment, Harry stared and found himself snickering before he could stop himself, making Vernon look up in something akin to awe. "Green and plant-like? Interesting choice. And why did you do that?"

"He was mad at me for not stuffing my shirt for school! It's a stupid rule." William protested with a deep frown, blue orbs shifting to his mother. Obviously it was a subject he'd rebelled up about before.

Nodding sagely, Harry let himself become somber again, watching the child carefully. "So I see. And it simply….happened?"

William turned to face him, his face contrite. "Yeah! I was so mad at him 'cause then his hair was all green and full of plants."

"One time, I was so upset, I ended up on the roof of the school your father and I attended with no idea of how I'd gotten there." Harry told him, making almost everyone gape at him.

"Really?" William asked, mouth open in awe.

"Really. You see, what you're doing is accidental but can be dangerous. It's like trying not to punch at the school bully since doing so will not only validate his actions, but get you into trouble." The raven told the boy, making sure his expression carried the severity of his tone, ignoring how Dudley winced in his seat. "So I suggest not letting your anger get to you so much that this sort of thing keeps happening."

"But what can we do to keep him from doing worse?" Vernon finally demanded, his voice tight and his face still heavily controlled though the hate was clear in his eyes. "How can we make this go away?"

Harry was glaring at him in a flash, watching the older man go from dark red to pale white in a matter of seconds. It was clear Harry wasn't the scared little boy he could beat and push around anymore. "This doesn't go away _Uncle Vernon_, it will get to the point where he has no control and hurts someone or he keeps it under control long enough to get proper training. Lucky for him, there's a preparatory school nearby that can take him for children his age with his exact abilities. At least there, there are people who can react properly to his actions."

"There are schools here for him?" Cynthia cut in since Vernon had been cowed into silence and she honestly wanted to know. "For people like you?" only looking away long enough to deal with her daughter's fussing over the mush she'd spread all over her bib.

"Yes and good thing too. If unchecked, things might spiral." Harry warned, knowing that as a mother, her concern was very real same as Dudley's.

"I-I didn't mean it! I swear! I was just mad at him is all!" William exclaimed, glancing between his parents and Harry in growing panic of being punished unjustly. "I didn't know that would happen!"

Ever the kind hand, Harry was quick to soothe him of his anxiety. "It's not your fault William, just like it was never mine. You're reacting out of instinct and emotion, something you can't help but do. But I've already spoken to some officials on placing you in that school I talked about to help you get better at avoiding things like that. Iris too, if she ever shows signs of the same when she gets older."

"So…so I'm not in trouble?" the boy asked, blue eyes still wet from coming so close to crying for forgiveness.

"No, but you should understand that while some magic is dangerous, others are actually beneficial or simply harmless. For now, I suggest being more careful in how you react to things, in case you really do hurt someone." Harry warned, smirking artfully at the child next to him as he added. "And you just might not end up in the snake exhibit like your father did."

From the end of the table, Cynthia nearly dropped her cutlery in shock, exclaiming in her shock. "He what?!" she immediately regretted shouting when it got Iris fussing again, the toddler threatening to throw her little plastic plate of food at Vernon in her displeasure.

"Another accident but he really did deserve it, birthday or not." Harry told her past his chuckles, once again ignoring Vernon's enraged look, noting that his aunt was also trying not to let her mirth show.

Scratching at that back of his neck bashfully, a dark blush on his face, Dudley smiled sympathetically to his wife. "I was being a right prat that day, even if it was my birthday." He paused to look at his son with a sad look. "Which is why I'm worried you might do that to someone without meaning to, like Harry did. I asked him here because I'm worried about you William. Both of us are. I just want to make sure you don't hurt anyone, much less yourself."

Glancing between his parents, Cynthia adding her own saddened smile and a nod, William sat quietly a moment before responding. "Okay Dad." He said, earning more than one sigh of relief. Once again looking to his mother, the boy asked. "Did you need help cleaning up Mum?"

"I'd like that, thank you." The brunette woman responded, smiling wider at her son, finishing in cleaning her daughter before rising to begin taking things away.

Since he was done with his dinner as well, Harry got up and grabbed the bowl of potatoes before his hostess could. "Allow me."

"That's alright, you don't—." she began, unsure of how exactly to protest.

He only had to disarm her with a smile. "I'm a guest and feel inclined to do my part. Besides, knowing this lot, they're keener on getting to dessert than actually helping."

"Hey! I'd take offense to that if it wasn't true." Dudley protested from his end, though his smile proved he approved of the joke. His parents were planted to their chairs, forgotten but still moving to do their part.

"Ever the sweet tooth, eh Dudley?" Harry asked, green eyes flashing knowingly from behind his glasses.

"Less so since you…left but yes, and you'd know why when Cynthia gets out the cake she made today." The blonde returned, his smile growing wider when Harry balked.

"Cake? Well if my arrival is so special, I would've shown up years ago." The raven muttered, taking the bowl to the counter and sharing a wink with the brunette who was already dealing with the carrots.

"Twat. Just gather up the silver and you just might get your share." Dudley joked back, picking up plates on his way to the counter as well, his mother grabbing the platter still covered in roast while his father busied himself collecting the soiled napkins.

"And if not, I could just steal your slice. It'll probably be half the cake so it won't be easy with these spindly arms of mine." Harry shot back, sharing a devious grin with his newly discovered nephew. "Care to split it with me William?"

"Blimey, you bet I would!" the boy exclaimed, taking some plates to the counter as he'd promised before being ushered out with his grandparents, soon followed by Cynthia who intended to take their thankfully tired daughter up to bed.

"Since when are you good with kids?" Dudley asked once they were alone, the pair moving about to finish the job before Cynthia came back.

Harry's mirth wavered but held on if by a thread. "Since my godson lost his parents and I'm helping his grandmother and his cousin raise him. That and my friends have a daughter of their own so I have experience there too." He said, looking his cousin in the eye. "I wasn't the only kid at that school that came from a muggle house."

"Muggle?" the blonde asked, puzzled.

"It's what they call you 'normal' people. You're more of a squib, a person related to magical people, who knows about magic even though you have no talent for it and can't see most things. My world has its ups and downs but it's not so bad once you get past all the ignorance and bigotry." Harry told him, taking his load to the counter to be dealt with, not looking at the other man as he started putting scraps in the trash can by the sink.

"For what it's worth, I would've understood if you had ignored my letter." Dudley's words made Harry pause, looking up at his cousin as the man approached with the remaining dirty plates in hand. "I don't have many excuses for all that happened, all that I did but…having you here to help us make sense of this means a lot. I mean that."

Using nearly all his self control to keep from dropping the plate he was holding, Harry set it down and growled out. "Your parents are horrible, disgusting people and being in the same room with them makes me want to be ill but from the way you expressed yourself in your letter, I knew you weren't the same as them." Dudley stared, obviously having not expected such words to go from scathing to contrite in the same comment. Harry continued on, not bothering to hide his uncertainty from the man. "I was…conflicted practically all day but my friends urged me to come, give you a chance. Now I'm glad I did."

Dudley smiled, the expression looking oddly comfortable on his face, nodding in agreement with his cousin. "As am I. And I think Cynthia would agree with me." Setting the stack of plates down, the blonde was practically grinning like the imp he used to be. "Now I think we should finish up so we can have that cake after all."

Harry was about to answer when a loud _thunk_ and a cry from his aunt cut him off. "Oh! Bloody hell!"

Not bothering to ask the other what the noise had been, both men scrambled into the next room, Harry with wand in hand and every intent of protecting his family from whatever had come to call on them. Instead, he found that everyone was gaping at the owl hovering outside the window, its dark eyes seeking out its message's recipient.

"Is that-?" Dudley asked but Harry was already moving, putting his wand away to open the window for his owl who did her customary circling before landing on his shoulder.

"Demeter? What are you doing here?" he asked, only getting an extended leg in response.

Curious about who would be in such need of him that Demeter showed up, Harry took the note and folded it, green eyes scanning the message written in a quick but still somehow neat hand:

'_Harry,_

_There's been a break in the case. Need you at the park immediately. Be ready._

_-Draco_'

"Harry? What is it?" he heard Dudley ask, breaking him out of his thoughts, everyone staring at him with worry.

Realizing he'd made a scene, Harry was quick to respond. "I'm sorry but I'm needed at work. And I'm sad to say it can't wait." He said, pocketing the note and petting his owl as reward for her work. "No reply, my lovely. Head straight home."

Demeter let out a hoot of understanding, gracefully leaving through the open window which Harry shut behind her, turning to find Dudley had already approached him with his coat in hand. "Is it serious?"

Accepting the coat with a grateful nod, the raven shrugged it on, fishing the gloves from a pocket and his scarf from the other. "Finding illegal items that could be used to harm dozens of people along with the people who smuggle them? Then yes, it's very serious. And on occasion, I snag a murderer or two."

"You're a copper?" his nephew asked, oblivious to the surprised expressions on Petunia and Vernon's faces. Of all the answers, he was certain they hadn't been expecting that.

Smiling at the boy, Harry nodded again. "Yes William, I'm a wizard and a cop. I help catch bad people and I keep people like your parents safe from the dangers of what our kind can do."

"Our kind?" the boy asked, confused by the odd phrase.

"Yes, we're different from them but you should never forget the similarities. I know I haven't." Harry told him, hoping the boy took his words to heart before turning to Cynthia with a reproachful gaze. "I'll take a rain check on that cake, as much as I'd love it right about now."

"We'll save you a slice." Dudley promised.

"Thanks." Harry said, truly glad his cousin had indeed changed. Turning again to his nephew, he didn't hesitate to grin impishly. "William, want to see a neat trick?"

"Yeah, what?" the boy asked, excited to see what his uncle would do.

Harry only grinned, stepping back so there was plenty of room between him and the boy and also that he wasn't going to accidentally bring the couch with him. Giving the boy one last smile and a wink, Harry disapparated, taking pleasure in imagining the boy's response as he vanished.

A few minutes later, Harry was skulking around the park he and Draco had been frequenting since the beginning of their case. The sun had gone down roughly a half hour prior, blanketing the world in a veil of night. It didn't take him long to find the blonde behind a tree facing the house they'd raided but a week earlier. Purposefully stepping on a stick so not to scare the blonde that much in his approach, grey eyes found green in the dark as he moved to stand next to his partner as he whispered. "What's going on?"

"Another Auror said that someone would be returning to this house tonight but couldn't get much out of his informant. Now we're here because everyone else on shift is busy." Draco muttered in a low tone in turn, his gaze falling on the empty house across the street again.

"Great, I'm missing cake you know." Harry growled, shifting so that his body produced more heat against the deep chill that'd settled over the city.

"I'll get you some as recompense, I assure you." The blonde retorted with no shortage of sarcasm, though the prospect of getting cake from the Malfoy was enticing. Just when he thought they were done talking, the man was speaking again. "So how was dinner?"

Unsure of how else to respond, Harry decided to tell him since he was so curious about the event. "Awkward, at first. My aunt and uncle were there but we somehow kept ourselves from throttling each other."

"And your cousin?" Draco ventured, glancing at Harry as if wary the man would suddenly lose his temper.

"Oddly fit. I imagine his wife had something to do with it. Lovely woman, a very kind and understanding person in spite of her situation." Harry returned casually, finding it strange that the woman had indeed been very calm about the whole thing.

"What about the boy, William?" the blonde asked, breaking Harry from his thoughts.

"Turned his teacher's hair into a bush because he didn't stuff his shirt."

A deep chuckle answered him. "You can't be serious."

"Perfectly. I have Hermione talking to the local school on getting him admitted. He's old enough and they can help him get things under control." Harry responded, knowing now was a good time as any to change the subject. "Who are we looking for?"

"Mundungus Fletcher." Draco stated in a bored tone, as if it didn't fascinate him at all.

"You've got to be fuckin' kidding me! That lunkhead is smuggling again?" the raven growled, earning a puzzled look from his partner.

"Again?" he heard the blonde ask, sounding astonished at this information. And it was true that Fletcher had been a continuing pain in the Ministry's side, and not only due to his annoying ability to break into other wizard's houses to sell back or to others who took a liking to the items. The fact he was involved in dangerous potions ingredients procurement was no real surprise to Harry.

"It's because of him Hermione, Ron and I had to break into the Ministry to get the Slytherin locket from Umbridge." Harry seethed lowly, just loud enough for only Draco to hear in case their quarry was in hearing range of them.

Draco blinked, taken aback by this. "You what?"

Realized what he'd just said, Harry waved the question away. "Long story. You were busy being pressured into doing bad things."

"Why does every conversation we have come back to that?" Draco growled, ire rising to a dangerous height.

To Harry's relief, a man walking down the street was the distraction he needed, spotting the man's shaved head easily. "There he is! I recognize that git anywhere." Harry grumbled in frustration that he would be bringing the man in again, for smuggling, again.

"By Merlin he's ugly." He heard Draco murmur.

"Finally something we agree on." Harry responded, drawing his wand. "Now I'm going to earn me some damn cake."

If Draco had anything to say about it, he didn't hear it as Harry forwent any pretense and starting heading right for Mundungus and his greasy form, the paltry wizard barely having any warning before Harry struck him with a Jelly-Legs charm, disarming him as he fell to the cold concrete. "Mundungus Fletcher, you're under arrest for suspicion of smuggling illegal potions ingredients and black market dealings. If you've got anything to say, keep it to your bloody self or for your advocate."

The bald wizard, ever dressed in unwashed clothes that were clearly from another era, was agape as the raven bound him in magical ropes. Behind him, Draco was jogging forward to glare at his partner. "Bloody hell Harry, are you mad? What if someone saw?"

"Then they just saw this pile of dung trip over himself just as he was being arrested by a pair of agents of the law. Really Malfoy, what else would anyone watching be thinking?" Harry snarled, his bad mood taking over as he glared back.

"I can explain, I really can 'Arry!" Mundungus spoke up from the ground, eyes darting between the two men as if in hopes that the blonde would help get him out of the bind he was in.

Bringing the man up using levitation, Harry's face had become twisted with his barely contained fury, the smuggler's expression pale in the wake of its intensity. "And I don't give a rat's flea bitten ass. I should've hauled you in years ago if it meant I didn't keep steppin' in your messes."

"But I really can explain this 'Arry, I can give you all kinds of things if you-." Mundungus began again, only to be cut off by a loud scoff from the raven.

Harry's face became a mask of fury if the way he sneered was to go by. "Trying to bribe me Fletcher? Really? Save it for the Wizengamot you unwashed prick."

"He's in a mighty snit ain't he?" the bald wizard asked Draco as Harry stomped off toward the apparition point just down the street.

"You'd be too if you got dinner but no dessert." The blonde drawled, able to keep up thanks to his long legs and natural grace. "Honestly Potter, you-." He began only to stop when the raven turned on him, his normally kind face a mask of rage that Draco honestly didn't know how to respond to. If anything, it acted as a future warning not to come between the man and his sweets, Draco quickly muttering. "Never mind."

As they came to stand at the apparition point, Draco gave their prisoner one last scathing glare before they vanished, taking satisfaction in how the smaller man gulped at the look. It was never good when more than one Auror was mad at you. Rather than let some other wizard do it, Harry almost literally tossed Fletcher into his cell, writing with a fury practically to the point of abusing the quill he was using. His bad mood continued well until they got to their offices to start on the reports where it had died down to mild frustration. Ever the efficient one, Draco finished first and left without a word, not that Harry expected him to say anything. His behavior made him feel guilty for turning it on his partner but the events of the day had all snowballed into one roiling outburst. Kicking himself for letting it out in such a terrible manner, Harry forced himself to stay at his desk for longer than necessary, hoping it would be enough to cool him down. He had been hard at work on some other reports he'd yet to finish that day when the sight of something being placed before him broke his trance, making him jump. Looking up with a surprised blink, Harry nearly gawked at seeing Draco had returned, his face unreadable as he placed a white Styrofoam container on Harry's desk. Having been so focused on punishing himself, Harry hadn't even noticed the door being opened, or that the harsh light of the hall lamps had come in to reveal the darkened space. Baffled by the package and the blonde standing before him, Harry glanced between them in weary curiosity. "What's this?"

"Your cake, which you wanted so badly." The blonde responds easily, turning away so to bring his chair around his own desk to be in front of Harry's, the plastic wheels stuttering across the stone flooring.

For whatever reason, Harry's mind connected the dots to say the overly proud Malfoy had gone right to his cousin's house to procure the cake he'd been promised but denied due to work butting in. Eyes wide, Harry let his horror show at the thought of the pureblood invading a muggle home just for him. "You didn't-!"

"I went to a shop down the street, where there were quite a few flavors for sale. I chose the one I thought you might like and came back here." Draco said, cutting him off easily enough as he sat down, holding up his own container the same size and make as Harry's. "And I know you didn't mean to snap at me so there's no reason to stay here longer than necessary."

Harry nodded, reaching for the one before him, still feeling like a heel. "You didn't have to do this. I could've gone myself or waited until later."

Across from him, Draco's grey orbs rolled. "Yes but by then you'd feel too guilty and go on punishing yourself in an unjust fashion possibly for the rest of the week. As much as watching you mope around would entertain me to no end, your friends will just turn around and kick you out of it and call you an idiot just as I am now." The blonde responded, leaving his partner in a state knowing he was right on all counts. "So, let us feast on the fruits of our labors, even if it's just for tonight."

"Thanks…I guess everything did get to me." Harry admitted after a moment, smiling softly as he gave Draco's tray a curious look. "What did you get?"

"Dark forest with a delectable fudge icing to match it, while I got you some carrot on white." The blonde informed him, revealing the dark slice of sinful delight, its strong aroma filling the space easily.

Close to drooling, Harry opened his and was hit with the familiar scent of the sugary delight in all its burnt orange and pale white glory. Tearing open the accompanying plastic fork's protective wrapper, the raven grinned his approval of the blonde's choice in desserts. "Simple, tangy but delicious. Since when do you know me so well?"

Smirking like the prat he was, Draco wielded his own fork as if it were a wand. "I pay attention Potter, something you should pick up on if you're going to keep this job." Stabbing the slice of chocolate and going no further, the blonde looked back at him with a thoughtful look on his pale face. "Is now a good time to tell me why you came all the way to the Ministry for a locket? And why a locket of all things?"

Having been contemplating where to strike his own slice first, Harry's face turned into a grim mask, the switch making his partner stiffen. "Are you sure you want to know? You start eating now, you might end up regretting it."

"I admit I am curious but if waiting to consume this treat is the cost." Draco muttered, looking down at it as if it would tell him the right answer. With a resolute nod, the blonde covered his slice with its lid, putting the dessert on the desk almost as if it was a distraction of some kind. "Alright, curiosity wins out. And I better not get the run around Potter."

For the longest moment, Harry simply stared at him, emerald eyes unwavering in their observation of the other man. After what probably felt like an eternity, the raven finally nodded, also covering his cake slice to keep it from distracting him. "If you insist."

The tale took the better half of an hour, both refraining from eating their slices of cake until it was finished with Harry laughing at how ill Draco looked though the sound was oddly bitter at best. Recalling what he had to do to end the war weighed heavily on him and having someone other than the other two people who did it with him was refreshing. He wasn't about to tell his cousin but at least with Malfoy it was a start. Using their respective cakes to drive the ill feelings of the past away, they shared a companionable silence that the blonde only broke once.

"You really did all those things? And not just the ones you did in school?" Draco asked in a soft voice, awe and disbelief a strange mix to Harry's ears.

Nodding sagely, Harry answered honestly enough. "I did a lot of things, most of them are true. The most I can do for you now is poke holes in the lies."

Draco decided not to respond after that, opting instead to finish his dessert, bid Harry good night and left as quietly as he'd reappeared. In the back of his mind, Harry couldn't help but wonder just what other questions the blonde had. This in turn led him to think of all the questions he was certain his cousin and nephew had for him, the thought allowing the raven to smile wistfully for the first time in hours.

And so ends another chapter. Liked it? Tell me, please for reviews are love after all. I had to stop here cuz it's a nineteen pager on the edge of becoming twenty or more. When I write, man do I write it out. All the more reason to not obsess too much and just post it right? Wrong! I swear I sat on this for the several weeks after I wrote it, tweaking it. But I'm rambling. Here's what's next:

Next chapter:

Chapter 3: Fought & Lost

The past has arrived but the future is still uncertain as the ball starts rolling on the way to murder and more. The question is now, will our boys survive it or will everything they have come crumbling down? Is Harry's renewed relationship with his cousin a beacon of hope or doomed to failure? Why don't you stick around for when '_Shadow Of A Doubt_' returns with:

_**Chapter 3: Fought & Lost!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Fought & Lost

"Iii" = speech

_Iii_ = thought

Chapter 3: Fought & Lost

Sifting through his neat stack of files, a stark contrast to the organized mess that was Harry's desk, Draco wanted to be sure he had everything in order before he dragged his partner with him to Robards' office. _Whenever that twat decides to actually show up._ The blonde thought darkly as he found the file he'd been looking for and put it in its rightful place higher in the stack. He wasn't about to get another lecture from the bane of both of their lives Hermione on keeping things organized. It had been a terrifying ten minutes when the brunette had come in, screeching like a banshee, cornering them as she swatted at them with a rather thick tome over how nearly everything Harry sent in was two weeks overdue. For the most part, Harry was able to dodge most of her blows, mostly from past experience and not from being a Seeker in school as Draco dared to suspect. He certainly didn't like the odd expression the raven's face had taken when the woman's blows hit their mark, the man grimacing but keeping quiet. As if he knew noise would just make things worse. The pair later attributed the rather violent outburst to hormones likely pent up from the nearly month long conference the woman's husband had been sent on. Needless to say, it was a thing to be seen when the ginger finally returned and Malfoy resigned any hope of maintaining any kind of pride by taking the man by the lapels of his jacket and nearly slammed him into the wall. The youngest Weasley male had indeed been surprised, his blue eyes growing ever wider when Draco didn't hesitate to go into his tale of how the man's wife had almost killed him and Harry with a book.

"I don't care what you do, I really don't Weasley. Get that woman out of here and fuck her into the damn mattress if you have to but dammit I plan to die of old age, not because I've been bludgeoned by a bloody manuscript!" Draco had practically hissed at him, keeping his voice low even though the pair were alone in the corridor the blonde had confronted him in.

True to form, Ron had blushed madly but seemed to recognize that things must be in a bad way if his wife was taking her frustrations out on not just coworkers but friends too. Draco didn't see either half of the couple for the rest of the day, hoping that the ginger had indeed taken his words into account in dealing with his wife, content to sit in his office across from Harry without any interruptions. More than once Harry had glanced up and watched the door, as if fearing it would burst open and his friend would appear with her hardback weapon in hand. He seemed to be beyond relief when it was time to sign out for the day and she had yet to appear, giving Draco a shaky goodbye before vanishing in a whirl of color. A few days later, Draco managed to track Hermione down, thankful she didn't share a space with anyone as he reiterated Harry's reaction to her initial attack and his response to her absence thereafter. The woman's face paled more and more as he spoke, her mind finally registering the effect her actions had on her old school friend. Even though he still didn't know all the details of Harry's upbringing, his tale seemed to remind the brunette woman that her actions had brought up some terrible memories for the man she claimed to care deeply for next to her husband. Hermione was quick to recover and excuse herself, leaving the blonde in the wake of her swift strides in search of said friend while Draco wandered to the break room to wait things out. The coffee was awful, as usual. He lounged for an hour before returning to the office, finding Harry was alone but no worse for wear. If anything, he looked more relaxed than usual.

Glancing up at the blonde's arrival, Harry had spoken with mild curiosity. "Where have you been?"

"Around. You finish that report yet?" the blonde demanded, hoping it would be enough of a diversion to keep the man from questioning why he'd been absent during Hermione's visit.

"Yeah, it's right here." the raven said, holding up the file, getting up with it in hand.

Honestly annoyed, Draco glowered at him for taking his time. "Then turn it in and we might get a new case you prat! As much as I enjoy being indoors I'd very much like to actually earn my pay."

"Not that you need it." Harry muttered with mirth as they moved to walk out into the hallway, Draco not far behind.

"I noticed we haven't come under bombardment. Where's Hermione?" he asked, having long since come into the habit of calling people by their names rather than his more terse retorts.

Green eyes blinked, puzzlement filling them for a moment. "Mione? She left ten minutes ago. Seemed rather contrite over last week. She still warned me about not turning my reports in on time though." He said with a shiver that Draco couldn't help but mirror. If Hermione was warning Harry to do something, she was actually warning him to make Harry do it.

"Naturally. Now hurry up. I want to get some real coffee from a real vendor of foods instead of the tripe they call a break room." The blonde said in a short tone, hoping the raven would buy into his complaints rather than notice his shared fear of the woman they'd both made the great error of befriending.

"Because anything less is below your purview. If I pay will you stop bickering?" Harry asked, lips curved in a smile that nearly stopped Draco short.

The blonde didn't dare let his partner take advantage of the pause as he filled the quiet quickly enough. "If you do, my lips are sealed."

"All I needed to hear." Harry had returned with a deep chuckle, the pair of them walking to Robards office in search of something to do with the rest of their day.

_When was that? April? Oh who cares! Harry better get here or I'm skinning him myself._ The blonde growled impatiently when he glanced at the timepiece he'd put on his desk, the bronze dragon's body curled around the clock's face that told him Harry was going on ten minutes late. Anger was beginning to slip into worry when another two minutes went by and the man still didn't show up, Draco about to rise and search the whole building himself when the door finally swung open. On the other side, Harry stood with a large folder of papers in his hands, the man looking oddly winded even though it was only nine in the morning. Still furious that the raven had been more or less missing the whole time, he couldn't help let the ire filled question slip through his lips. "And where the bloody hell have you been? You're late!"

Harry started at his tone but simply frowned, heading to his desk with the thick folio in hand. "Sorry, I just got back from Hermione's office with some research she was drumming up for the both of us."

"The both of you?" Draco asked, baffled. _That whole folder is just about research? On what?_ He thought, positively stunned that something Harry needed would end up being so extensive as taking up so much paper.

Setting the massive package down, held together by a well tied piece of string, Harry didn't bother opening it as he turned to face the blonde. "Yes, since Rose is still too young for school but William is, she thought it best to just research on what to do so that William can get the help he needs."

Draco's eyebrows almost vanished into his hair. "That's where you've been?"

"Well I haven't been slacking. Most of this is supposed to go to Dudley anyway though I'd rather be there to explain most of it."

_So that's it…he wants to be sure his cousin doesn't stumble like a fool given how he was never given such attention on this matter._ Draco thought, filling the silence with another inquiry about the oddly large folder. "Is that why it's so…thick?"

"Yes, Hermione was very…thorough." Harry commented wryly, smirking at the light quip about his knowledgeable friend. "You know her, she wants to make sure she got everything the first time around."

"So I see. Well we have work to do so I hope you're ready for a full day." Draco told him as he rose from his chair, buttoning his suit jacket, having come to work dressed as a muggle same as Harry in case he had to go about said populace.

Watching the blonde move to the door, not hesitating to follow, Harry frowned. "What about that smuggling ring?"

"Fletcher sang like a canary as the saying goes and is getting off on a lighter sentence but is definitely going to Azkaban for causing trouble. As far as I know, Robards got a whole team together and rounded up the rest without us." Draco informed him, knowing the only reason he and Harry weren't on the arrest team was due to political pressure from above, as well as the unspoken unease that came with having a known ex-Death Eater around. If Harry knew about it, he'd been oddly silent about his vehemence on the matter.

"Even though it was our arrest?" he heard the raven ask, sounding more annoyed than indignant that he hadn't been informed about something on his own case.

_Ignorance then._ Draco reasoned, remaining casual as he spoke on their way to the elevator bank. "I made sure we're credited but otherwise, he wants us on other things now." He only turned to face the raven when they were both in the box, thankful that they were alone or else what he said next would have looked at them funny. "We have a suspicious death to look into."

Harry nodded as the doors shut with a _clang_, reaching up for the handle above when the elevator shook violently. "Who is it?"

Not for the first time, Draco frowned. "Not sure, Robards wants us in his office to get us up to date but since you decided to lollygag, we're late." His frown became an irritated growl at his partner. "And Malfoys detest being late."

"Malfoys don't like much do they?" Harry asked, smirking in cool amusement.

"We like order and routine and you have neither." The blonde snapped, only earning a wider grin which just angered him more.

"So sorry to disappoint." The raven drawled in a mock tone of superiority.

Draco would've strangled him if not for the doors opening to reveal their destination, the infuriating man already moving to walk ahead and into the crowded hall. Just how he kept his temper in check was a miracle since he found himself in the Head Auror's office facing Robards at his desk. The brunette man with his weathered face of maybe fifty was by no means very handsome, was thankfully not all that ugly either but that didn't mean he was pleasant. Still he gave them a stiff smile as he looked up, dark eyes shining with light ire at their arrival. "Ah, Potter, Malfoy it's about time."

Harry had the sense to look bashful under the older man's gaze. "Sorry sir, I had some minor business to take care of. Malfoy says we have a new case?" he asked, taking one of the chairs in front of the Head Auror's desk as Draco took the other wordlessly.

Robards huffed but didn't comment, deciding instead to keep his temper in check as he spoke. "Yes, since we were able to close yours using that Fletcher fellow you brought in, I thought it best you move on to something else until you're needed in the courts." He told them, handing them each a copy of the file they were now assigned, speaking in that commanding tone that Draco honestly didn't find all that impressive. "This came in early this morning, a muggle woman who died under strange circumstances."

"Was anyone dispatched to the house?" Draco asked, while Harry busied himself in looking through the various photos provided. The raven had a better eye for what muggles normally had in their homes than him, his vision oddly acute despite the glasses.

Before them, Robards was talking again, taking the question in stride. "The muggle authorities got there first after a neighbor claimed to hear a strange noise and see 'an odd, bright light' through the window and when no one answered the door, let herself in. When she found the body, she immediately called for help. A squib among the responders alerted us not soon after."

Draco nodded and half expected Harry to say something, but the man was giving one photo an odd look, the blonde filling the quiet by quickly inquiring. "I'm seeing lots of dog items in these photos. What did she do for a living?"

"According to the neighbor, she raised bulldogs and made quite a lot of quid doing it. I imagine whoever she's related to will get a bit of a pick-me-up in their accounts." Robards noted casually enough, turning to Harry for anything he might have to say on the matter, frowning when the raven didn't move.

Unnerved by his partner's behavior, Draco called out to him. "Potter? Harry!"

At the loud utterance of his name, Harry blinked, suddenly remembering where he was and why. "Huh?" fighting down a deep blush, Harry got the hint. "Oh, right. Have next of kin been notified?"

"By the police yes, and our contact has included their names and addresses. If any of the information's recent you'll discover for yourselves." Robards told them, eyeing Harry with a mild form of wariness, glancing at the blonde with a questioning look.

"Yes sir, we'll get started." Draco said respectfully enough, returning the look with one of his own, telling the older man he wasn't sure what was wrong but would discover it. Robards got the message by nodding minutely as they left, Harry oblivious to the silent exchange, too focused on keeping the folder's contents in order. It wasn't until they were out in the corridor that Draco confronted him, trying desperately not to seethe at the man. "What the hell was that back there?"

Harry turned to face him, frowning, eyes troubled as he showed him a photo that wasn't of the body but of a group of people standing by a police car. "I know her." Draco had to keep his jaw from hitting the floor at the statement, shocked and confused that someone from the muggle part of their world was someone Harry knew. "The woman in the back, there." He said, pointing to the image of some elderly looking woman with a mean face talking to a uniformed man.

Draco could only stare, astounded. "What?"

His partner's face still showed a mixture of wistful resentment and shadows. "That's my aunt Marjorie. I haven't seen her since she last visited back when I was with the Dursleys. Hell I haven't thought of her in years."

Blinking, Draco glanced between the woman in the picture, her face caught in an expression of fear and concern, chubby fat making it hard to see it as genuine. He couldn't help but let some of his own dark anger show as he examined her image, silently hating one of the people who made his partner's early life hell. "I imagine she wasn't very kind."

Harry let out a tired sigh, his relaxed posture showing he was glad they were alone in the hallway. "She wasn't. In fact, she insulted my parents and in a rage, I turned her into a human balloon."

"Y-you what?!" Draco managed not to exclaim, aghast at the thought.

"It was accidental! …Mostly." The raven said lamely, not bothering to be embarrassed by the admission. "She made me angry and that's what I did! Didn't even need a wand it just… happened."

Draco stared for a moment, his brain struggling to process the information. "That is maybe the least bizarre story you've ever told me." he declared softly, frowning deeply when Harry didn't react. "I'm guessing that didn't garner you any points."

"No, I earned myself a lot of angry and panicked shouting while my uncle struggled to get her back in the house." Harry responded coolly, eyes dark with memory. His frown deepened so that his nose wrinkled with distaste. "She's also Vernon's sister so that means she's as unpleasant as she is ugly."

The blonde couldn't help but flinch, having only seen photos of the disgusting man, finding the resemblance disturbingly uncanny in too many ways. "A delightful comparison but what does that do for us?"

"What it does is tell us that her neighbor came across something she ought not have in some strange way, or someone is looking for a way to get close to my family." Harry muttered, expression still hinted with troubled shadows.

Draco started at the statement, having trouble finding logic in it. "Your family? Why? Why not just-?"

"Come after me? Think about it! I'm an Auror who defeated the most evil man to live in centuries, I live in a house with strong wards that are damn near impenetrable even if they found out where I live and I'm extremely difficult to kill. What better way to get me out into the open than going after people I care for? Or in this case people they think I might care for." Harry responded with a dark scowl, his voice having lost some of its passion with the last sentence. "If they got to this woman just to get to my aunt, they might go after Dudley and his family!"

"Can't you send them into hiding?" Draco asked, deciding then to guide them to the elevator, the circular bank area clear of other people.

Walking next to him without protest, Harry only scoffed. "And upend their lives? No, I won't do that to a confused couple and their small children who just want to know what's going on. At least, not until we have no choice." Harry said in a distressing tone. "Besides, we only know that some woman was either attacked or got ahold of something that was magical and her death is probably just collateral damage. If this is related to my family, I think we should discover who or what killed her before going down that road. This whole thing screams coincidence but I'd rather be sure than jump to conclusions."

For a moment, Draco honestly didn't know what to say, eventually asking. "Right, any ideas?"

Openly grateful for the lack of questioning his line of thinking, Harry let his mind go into Auror mode. He was only distracted by the violent shake of the elevator as they came to their floor and walked out, heading for their office. "We should contact the witness and since Aunt Marjorie doesn't know anything about magic I would suggest that I talk to her."

"But you don't want to." The blonde guessed, careful not to give away his sympathy for the man's response as they walked. He knew the Ministry rumor mill like the back of his hand and letting anything untoward about the man getting out was something Draco had gotten into a habit of doing.

Harry paused before nodding, opening the door for them both, sounding tired as they entered the large room and shut out the world with a loud click of the door's mechanism. "I'd prefer not to. She's…Vernon if he were a woman basically, rude and unbearably haughty if not about Dudley then it's about the dogs she breeds. I guess she and Vernon are your father if he had a twin or something."

Draco blinked as he turned to face his partner, confusion and ire coming forth, staring at the raven as if he were suddenly speaking an alien language. "That…what in bloody hell does my father have to do about this?"

Letting out a loud sigh, Harry all but collapsed into his chair. "The Dursleys were, and very much still are, obsessed with being perceived as perfect, normal. Dudley has broken away from that façade if yesterday was any indication but his parents were…harsh people. They sought conformity and a picturesque life, one that was in the balance just by my being there."

_Well that throws a new light on things._ Draco thought but forced himself to be professional though inside his hate for the Dursleys grew a little darker. "Potter, maybe it's best you not remain on this case. If whoever's behind this is after your family-."

"Then what? Would you want me to have you given another case if something happened to Blaise? Or Pansy? Or maybe your parents?" Harry growled, surprising the blonde with the fear and ire blending together in the man's voice. They were already in their office so it was safe for them to get loud.

Draco faltered at the demands, his blood chilling at the thought that someone might attempt to hurt his friends and parents just to get to him. As a Slytherin, this move wasn't unfamiliar as it was frowned upon, only those most desperate or incredibly cunning were able to do it successfully. Forcing himself to speak, Draco spoke in as steady a voice as he could manage at the moment, barely able to sit down at his own desk as his mind whirled. "I…I'd want to stay on and get ahead of whoever might be trying to hurt them."

Resting his elbows on the surface of his desk, and the various papers and notes that were covering it, Harry nodded with a grim look. "Exactly and that's not just the inner Gryffindor talking. It's common sense even if it's the most dangerous one. I may not care for them, but I already care a great deal about my niece and nephew and I'll be damned if someone uses my fame to hurt them."

"Niece?" Draco asked dumbly, grey eyes blinking at the thought of not just one but two children in potential danger.

At that, Harry's face softened. "Iris, a very cute two year old. She hasn't shown signs of magic yet but…. I can't ignore this Malfoy. Even if there's a slim chance." He said, sounding pained in a way that made Draco flinch in his own seat. "My parents died protecting me, just like yours risked theirs to save you even if their way nearly destroyed them. I'll protect them no differently than I would Rose and the Weasleys. Or you and the Zabinis. I protect my allies no differently than my friends and family."

"I could talk to your aunt if she starts to give you a hard time." Draco offered, earning a quiet nod from his partner before he decided to lighten things up some. "A human balloon?"

Blinking at the question, Harry's face split into a grin with a dry laugh. "Yes, because her pride and ego were so…inflated. She'd been visited for the week and she spent the whole time insulting me but it was the one about my parents that sent me over the edge. Floated right out of her chair and since it was hot that day she went right out the door, up into the sky screaming in a panic. I grabbed my trunk and left for wizard London, spent the rest of the summer at the Leaky just before third year. I never saw her again after that. She doesn't remember though, the Ministry dealt with that I think. It was worth it though. Sure as Hades shut her up."

Draco couldn't help but laugh in turn, knowing no other way to express his mirth at seeing the unpleasant woman growing overly plump only to float away to the distress of her relatives. "Well, let's be sure not to give it a second go this time. If anything, her memory of you is so rotted she won't recognize you."

"If she does, don't expect me not to Obliviate her if she gets snippy." Harry shot back, mirth ruining the severity of the statement.

The blonde couldn't help but grin deviously. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Marjorie 'Marge' Dursley thankfully didn't recognize Harry, thinking him some oddly coincidental look-alike. That didn't stop her from making very rude comments about him and his 'drunk and worthless' parents. It took almost all the control Harry had not to forgo magic altogether and strangle the elderly, overweight woman simply for opening her mouth. Draco was true to his word and did most of the talking, keeping his pale face a calm mask though Harry could tell the way his eyes flashed at every mounting jab at Harry and his dead parents that he wasn't very pleased either. Still, he maintained a professional air throughout their stay in her sitting room that smelled vaguely of dog musk.

"You were in your room when it occurred? You're certain?" Draco asked casually, having some common sense to use a ballpoint pen and notepad rather than a quill and parchment in front of an emotionally distressed elderly woman. Going from the way Harry was scowling derisively at the back of her head, he had reason to believe the woman was probably faking.

Her voice was wobbly whenever she spoke, denoting her upset and the occasional tear but even a dunce could tell it was just for show as the overly plump woman nodded. The way her chin moved made Draco want to be sick. "Positive, my young friend, the noise was hard to miss since it woke me from a deep doze. By the time I arrived at my window, there was a flash of white light as if someone had turned on an industrial torch. Scared me near to death when the noise happened again not too soon after so I put on a robe and went over to investigate."

Nodding in response with fake wisdom, Draco expertly went along with her charade. "I see, and how did you get into the house? Weren't the doors locked?"

"Esther and I, Esther Nelson's my neighbor's name, often meet for tea to discuss our dogs so I have a key should she need me to come over when she leaves. Poor Esther, she still had so much time left. Her grandchildren were coming to visit for the holiday I believe." Marjorie reiterated with some level of honest regret that from the roll of Harry's emerald eyes, the raven wasn't even close to believing.

"They'll be saddened to know those plans won't be followed through, I'm sure." Draco returned in false sympathy, smoothly returning the woman's focus to the subject matter as his 'sympathy' became a cool mask. "So you found her body in the kitchen is that correct?"

If Marjorie noticed the shift, she didn't notice or probably didn't care, once again nodding in response to the question. In the corner by a display case of photos and awards, Harry looked like he wanted to gag. "Yes, she was lying so still I thought she'd simply fallen but when I drew closer I saw it was more than that so I grabbed the phone and called the police." She told them prior to frowning. "Is that who you two are?"

Draco nodded, silently thanking the Ministry for coming up with a fake branch of law enforcement that gave him and other Aurors very authentic badges and IDs for this exact situation. Though he was certain no one but the Prime Ministers, both muggle and magic, knew what it was really for. "Quite right ma'am, we were given the case since it meets certain criteria that are more our forte than that of the common bobby." He responded easily, knowing that in reality he was no different than the average inspector, if working slightly different cases of theft, death and other potential scandals. "Did you see anything out of place or disturbed when you arrived in the house?"

Accepting his lie no differently than any other muggle, Marjorie scowled, the expression making her all the much harder to look at. "I don't believe so but I was so focused on getting to Esther that I barely noticed. I don't think anything was broken and the back door was locked." She said, her scowl going a bit deeper when she sipped at her own tea, having set out three cups in case her guests wanted any. So far, only hers had even been filled. "Are you sure neither of you would like some tea?"

"No, thank you Ms. Dursley. In fact, we should get going to examine the scene but if we do have more questions we may return." Draco said politely enough, stuffing his pad and pen into his jacket pocket, Harry more than eager to make a surprisingly nonchalant move toward the front door. The blonde could only imagine his partner was desperate to escape the woman's house before her aging brain finally made the connection between him and his adolescent connection to her.

Rising with Draco as he stood up, Marjorie smiled almost sweetly at him. The blonde Auror almost lost all control, somehow keeping his expression clear of disgust. His great-aunt Walburga had been easier on the eyes when she'd been alive and her portrait was proof enough of that fact. Though from what he knew, Harry had long since destroyed it. _And good riddance_. He thought as he focused on reality. "Oh, of course. The police took all of her dogs but I'm still working on getting them myself until others in our circle can make room for them."

"Your circle?" he asked, looking back at her as he moved ahead of her, Harry already at the door. From the way he was leaning, the raven was likely anxious for fresh air.

Marjorie's voice took on an informative air as she followed, seeing no reason to rush unlike her guests. "Yes, we breeders often confer with each other on the dog of our choice. I do believe I have their information if you'd like it."

"That would be lovely, that should give us more to work with if this was more than just an accident." Draco responded politely, though he knew that they already had the information in their files when the real police had asked for it.

That didn't stop her from eating up another five minutes of their time, retrieving it for them, handing the handsome blonde the page with names and addresses written in neat handwriting. "I do hope you discover what happened. Esther truly was a kind person, she deserved more than she got half the time." Marjorie told them once the pair of men were finally on her doorstep, watching her expression falter to something vaguely akin to sadness just before she shut them out. "Good day sirs."

Once the door shut and her footsteps faded away, Harry didn't hesitate to turn to his partner to ask. "You don't mind if I vomit in the bushes do you?"

"Only if I can add to it when you're done. I can see why you blew her up…literally." Draco told him with a full-body shudder. He'd been into many a muggle's home since joining the Aurors but most of them stunk of cats, children or something equally foul. The stench of dog was something he was looking forward to scrubbing from his brain later.

"I'm just glad we're out of that house. Smells just like I imagined. She brought one of the dogs with her too, when she visited. Slobbering thing spent the whole time biting me or hounding me for treats." Harry told him in a bitter tone, his face twisted in a dark scowl. "I'm so glad that dog is dead."

"And I'm glad we're finally out of that house. It stank!" the blonde exclaimed as they moved down the front walk since both fences and bushes prevented them from just crossing the green to the dead woman's house just next door. "I know you don't smell like that when you're a dog."

Harry scowled at him, only his impish smile ruining his irritation at the man. "I wouldn't know! Should I change and see if we can find out?"

Draco couldn't help but chuckle, silently glad the man hadn't changed and pissed on his leg years ago, much less try and cover him in the long black hairs he shed. "Prat. Just look for anything magical. If what your aunt says is right, someone apparated in here, killed her neighbor and left without pause." He ordered, both of them stepping into the house with wands in hand once they crossed the threshold. Unsurprisingly, the house also smelled heavily of dogs, making Draco wrinkle his nose. "The question now is why?"

Next to him, Harry shrugged, green eyes scanning the walls and tables for anything that didn't fit. Since it was mostly photos, awards and knickknacks like Marjorie's house, he knew it probably wouldn't be hard. "It's hard to say but I doubt it was for the dogs. She must have something the killer wanted and had to kill her to get." He mused, another thought striking him as he wandered into the living room to overlook the yard. "Something she picked up, thinking it was something innocuous?"

"Which could be anything since this woman seems to have a penchant for useless knickknacks." Draco returned with a growl, glaring at the odd assortment of animals and people made from both painted porcelain and colored or frosted crystal. "Honestly, what is with the elderly and these horrid trinkets?"

"It gives them something to strive for when they've nothing better to do, I guess. I know I'd probably go nuts if I was out of a job and no way to spend my free time." The raven told him from where he'd come to stand in the kitchen, casting minor spells in search of the item they sought while keeping his mind in the present. All the summers he'd spent either trapped in his room or forced to do chores weren't exactly what he wanted to reminisce about.

Following his partner into the kitchen, the linoleum floor still covered in police chalk, Draco couldn't help but scoff at the thought of doing nothing but picking out such useless items simply to fill a void. "Sounds dull, no wonder there so many of these things everywhere."

Harry shrugged, not all that bothered with the blonde's comment. "It's that, or cards with the same few people for the next twenty odd years until they finally kick it. Or both since either one is bound to happen anyway."

"What about knitting? Doesn't the Weasel woman send you a sweater every year?" Draco asked, giving his partner a curious stare.

"Or crochet, depending what you're trying to make. You'd wear it too if she made you one." Harry shot back.

True to form, Draco only scoffed again. "Probably burn it more like." Glancing around the small room, his gaze finding everything to be clean and orderly like the rest of the house in spite of numerous food bowls covering one corner of the floor. "Nothing yet?"

Shaking his head, exasperated, Harry shut the drawer he'd opened. "Nothing. Whatever was here is gone now. If there was ever anything at all. So what, or whoever, killed her probably came in, surprised her then killed her and apparated away in moments. Question is why?"

"Maybe she saw something that made her suspicious, something the killer wanted to be sure she couldn't tell anyone about." Draco said, throwing in his two cents, though it seemed hard to believe since the most they could see through the kitchen window was the backyard and that was filled with kennel cages, toys and a massive hedge that hid the next row of houses from normal view.

"How? There's nothing but hedges and flowers out there and from what we know she barely left the house unless…to walk the dogs. The dogs!" Harry exclaimed, making his partner stare in bafflement. "She probably saw or heard something while she was tending to her dogs that got her noticed. Which means we're going to have to retrace her day, her week if necessary, to find out when and where she may have caught sight of something. Did you see a datebook anywhere?"

Draco stared, unsure of how to respond, too confused by his partner's ramblings. "A what?"

Rolling his eyes, Harry only pressed on. "A book, full of nothing but day-to-day notes in it. It's what most muggles use to keep track of their schedules. Was one ever logged into evidence?"

Opening his copy of the file, having brought it to show to Marjorie next door, Draco's grey eyes quickly found the list of items that were admitted into evidence the day before. "It says they went through her handbag and found one but the last three days were missing. The rest were blank." He said aloud, the information surprising him as it got his brain on the track and running.

Harry was clearly on the same line for he was talking again, words spilling out in a passionate fall of sound. "Typical since she probably had made any real plans past the next few weeks but it does give us what we need. We just need to find out where she went during those three days, along with when and why. Since she had no real hobbies aside from collecting ornaments and conversing with friends, so this might be dog-related."

It took nearly all Draco had not to gape at his partner, since it was usually Harry who came up with some of the theories between them but this one was especially odd. "Like what?"

"Doctor's appointment, both for herself and the dogs, grocery runs, competitions or shows, trips to the groomers, the list goes on." Harry told him, his expression thoughtful as he went on, obviously on a roll. "There could be someone or something at any of those places that caught her eye and got her into trouble. Though why someone from our world would go through so much trouble for just one woman is hard to pinpoint right now."

"Why not just wait for the muggle police to do all the legwork? They could find something and inform us of their findings, if anything." Draco suggested, not all that keen on going to places that was awash with muggles. Though he didn't hate them, he still didn't like to be around them longer than needed.

Ignoring the underlining meaning of his partner's words, having heard them plenty of times before, Harry nodded as he continued. "True but unless we follow after them, no matter how benign, we may never know just what Mrs. Nelson encountered." Glancing around, as if to see if anything looked disturbed by someone other than them and the police. "It's also possible due to all the noise they made, the killer probably didn't have time to properly search the house for what they wanted, likely meaning Mrs. Nelson's death is just collateral damage. I say finish searching the house before looking into any other potential locations."

Draco let out a thoughtful hum before answering. "Good enough for me. Might as well get it out of the way now so we don't have to come back later. I'd rather not have to return to this…stench after today."

"Have you have been to a vet's office? Or a pound?" Harry asked, earning a surprised blink from the other man.

Suspicion filled Draco like water did a basin after a heavy rain, eyes narrowed. "No, why?"

Harry's response was as enigmatic as it was innocent, a little smile curling his lips in an oddly dangerous way. "No reason." He said lightly, yet somehow Draco felt there was an ominous feeling behind it. shaking the feeling away, Draco only huffed and left to head upstairs, leaving his partner with the rest of the ground floor and the cellar is there was one.

In the end, their search lasted an hour, watching their casting to make sure they didn't overwhelm the electric circuits with magical power before departing. To their relief, it was easy to find a place to apparate without drawing suspicion. Even more to their contentment, they were able to get back in time to break for lunch, heading to a diner across the street from the Ministry to partake of sandwiches. It was mostly muggles though the occasional Auror spotted them and gave a small greeting before leaving them alone. Eating at a leisurely pace, the pair returned to their office soon enough to immerse themselves in reports, putting photos and witness statements on the wall with Sticking Charms that wasn't taken up by Harry's photos or Draco's scenic painting. Everything about it was routine for them, as was spending almost too long at their desks, sipping at tea or coffee respectfully before heading home, Draco to his family's Manor and Harry to Grimmauld Place. The only break of routine that was taken was made by Harry's decision to write his cousin Dudley and properly inform him he'd be by with the research Hermione had found for them about the mixed lineage school that William could transfer into by the next school year. He'd even gotten an Obliviator to go to the boy's current school to deal with the staff and students, a quick spell de-planting the teacher's strange hairdo. Finding the paperwork cataloging the strange incident and its fellows over the last year or so hadn't been difficult, though what was written had amused Harry to no end. As relieving as it was to find the incidents were few and far between, they still raised a concern the boy may do something that couldn't be reversed. Shaking off the memories of his own misadventures using his untrained magic, Harry told Nipper he was leaving and wouldn't be back for at least two hours before imagining the Dursley living room in his mind. Once the memory was firmly in place, making sure he wasn't going to land on anyone, or anything, Harry apparated with the folder in hand.

If anyone present, mainly Petunia lounging on the couch and watching Iris play on the floor before her, was surprised by his appearance Harry didn't hear it over the tell-tale crack of his landing exactly where he'd vanished from last time. William had been situated in a chair with a book and was staring at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "Uncle Harry!" he shouted as he dropped his book and bounded over to the smiling raven.

"Hello again. Stayed out of trouble have we?" Harry chuckled, returning the enthusiastic hug the five year old was giving him, careful not to drop the massive folder in his grip.

Pulling back the boy's blue eyes were shining with amazement. "I did! Didn't turn anybody's hair green or nothin'." He said, face alight with wonder. "How'd you vanish like that? And how did you come back like you did? Can you show me how?"

The boy's hurried questions made Harry laugh loud and deep, recognizing the response from the few times Teddy had seen him apparate in front of him. "It's not something you'll learn when you're older, I promise. Best leave it at that or you'll end up someplace like the English Channel!" he joked, earning a shocked look from Petunia that he overtly ignored.

Loud footsteps distracted them, Dudley coming into view from the kitchen, blue orbs matching his son's blinking at his cousin's presence. "Harry! You're—on time!" he declared with both bafflement and awe when he looked at the clock on the wall. "No door this time?"

Harry shrugged lazily, giving his cousin a friendly smile. "I figured I'd arrive as I left since I know where the house is now. Since this is a muggle area a man can't exactly pop into existence on the front lawn without drawing some attention."

"That it would, knowing what you've been through." Dudley commented with mild humor, though the way his eyes lost some focus told all that he recalled the night when his family had fled their home in a panic.

Harry tried not to flinch, not to let his face go slightly pale and his expression to lose some of its mirth, but the way both adults blinked in shock told him it'd happened anyway. "Yes," he said in an oddly dry tone that was foreign even to him. "If only one truly knew."

William had been glancing between the trio of adults, unsure of what had happened to cause a shift in demeanor, about to speak when Cynthia appearing from up the stairs saved everyone the awkwardness of finding something new to say. Hazel orbs blinked, the woman's pretty face splitting at seeing him. "Harry! Welcome back! I didn't hear the doorbell."

Both Dudley and Petunia had to gape when Harry swiftly recovered, giving the pretty woman a dazzling smile. "Best to arrive as you left, as I'm sure they say." He said causally enough, holding up the massive folder he'd been holding the whole time. "I brought some reading for you and Dudley to look over, give you two a better idea of what you're dealing with."

"Really? That's wonderful, thank you!" Cynthia exclaimed, truly ecstatic at having proper information for the new changes in her life. "I hope you're hungry. I have a smoked ham in the oven this time."

"Oh? Sounds delightful." The raven commented in turn, his cheerful response sounding fairly sincere to Dudley, even if the sudden shift of emotion probably wasn't.

"It won't be for a while, so please sit down. Would you like tea?" his wife asked, oblivious to her husband's spinning thoughts about his curious cousin.

Smiling kindly, the raven shook his head. "No, thank you. Work was dull so I was able to sneak a cuppa or two before getting home before coming here. Though if you need any assistance, I'll be glad to pitch in."

"As to be expected from a gentleman like yourself. It'll just be another few minutes, I promise." Cynthia responded pleasantly, her next words added almost cheekily. "Will you be staying for dessert this time?"

The raven chuckled deep in his throat, the sound echoing through the room. "Owls permitting."

"Come on William." Cynthia called as she left the room, the small boy giving their visitor one last smile before running after his mother. As soon as they were both gone, Harry's kind mask vanished when Petunia spoke.

"Harry-." She began, only for the raven-haired man to cut her off swiftly.

"What I have to say to you isn't meant for the ears of small children, _Aunt_ Petunia. Where is Uncle Vernon? I'm surprised he's not present to send me dark looks." He growled, silently glad that William was no longer present to hear their interaction.

The normally calm woman faltered at his dark tone, her long face pale as he hands shook in her lap. "He—Vernon left me two days after your visit. Until I can find my own accommodations-."

"You're staying here for as long as you need Mum, no matter what Dad thinks." Dudley cut in, coming to sit next to her on the couch, earning a grateful nod from the older woman.

Watching them closely, Harry's expression had become unreadable. "I see. That is... that's something I was almost certain would happen. Or at least the both of you would cut and run, given how much the one thing you hate most keeps popping up."

"Harry!" Dudley scolded, angry at his cousin for thinking that of his mother. He too had almost excepted his parents to cut contact with him and his family but when his mother had called, her voice strained and distraught, he knew what he'd feared had come to pass.

"No, he's right. I'm afraid it's no thanks to your father's nature and my unwillingness to stand up to him is to blame." Petunia said in a lame voice, sounding far too tired to put up any real argument anymore. "I know there's very little I can say to appease your feelings toward me but the most I can ask is to try." She said, brown eyes meeting green, silently imploring the younger man to at least try and forgive her.

After what felt like forever, Harry spoke again, his voice firm and expression a mask of calm control. "Even before, and after she died, my mother loved you. She loved you and your disgusting husband and your annoying brat of a son at the time. Though I never got to know her, she loved me for the year I was alive, her love strong enough to cast something no amount of known magic can match. It was that love that kept your house from being invaded in any attempts to kill me or harm any of you. It was her that ensured we would all survive those years we spent together, as hellish as they were." He told them, his voice almost going dead as he went on, shadows appearing as memories rose to the surface like he knew they would. "That's what my enemy didn't count on, when I faced them after that night. My ability to love, just like my mother before me. In the years I went to that school, I had friends that cared for and respected me. I found purpose where with you I was just taking up space."

"Harry I-." Petunia began again, her voice almost breaking as she spoke his name.

"I'm not finished." He said, firm but somehow patient. "I lost a few friends to the months after I left, friends I'd hoped would survive but have accepted their loss. Many of them joined me in taking on the dark side of our world while others went off on their own heartfelt pursuits. But now we both have a chance to undo the damage both you and your husband caused, if not for _appeasing_ my feelings, then at least for the future of your grandchildren. I accept that Dudley has changed and become a man worthy of a delightful person as Cynthia or a son as smart as William. I accept that your husband Vernon is a narrow-minded pig that I wouldn't mind killing if not for the fact I'd be arrested for murder, though he deserves it. I also accept, even now, that you're not perfect and had issues of your own so don't you dare try and explain it away with crap excuses. Now, as a guest of this house, I intend to stay as long as I'm welcome, complete my business and leave. I'll not take advantage of a distressed elderly woman just to make myself feel better."

Petunia could only stare a moment, stunned by the raven's speech but eventually nodded her acceptance. "I understand. Does that mean you'll at least try to forgive me?"

At that, Harry blinked, leaning back in the chair as he sighed, looking instantly tired to their eyes. "Honestly, I don't know. But if it means that both William and Iris aren't subjected to the occasional spat, I see no reason not to."

"Thank you. That's all I ask, despite everything." The elder woman stated, not bothering with any kind of defense or prideful mask. That was stripped away by her husband's sudden decision to leave and her nephew's cold responses.

"What I do is for the good of the children, true good, and I intend to do my part as a proper uncle should." Harry said evenly, his expression painfully neutral. "Whether or not you're included in said efforts is up to you."

Petunia nodded, the movement fervent as it was shaky, her eyes watery from unshed tears at Harry's impromptu speech. Nothing was said even when Cynthia came walking back in to tell them the ham was finished and it was alright to get seated. Just when Petunia was going to rise unaided, Harry surprised them all by offering his hand though his face was unreadable. The aging woman blinked in shock but took his hand anyway, even more taken aback when the raven didn't let go, instead guiding her touch toward her son. Dudley moved to take her hand from Harry, the blonde man joining in the show of manners by guiding his mother to the dining table in the next room with Harry trailing silently behind them. The pair was actually concerned the raven would be irritable the rest of the night but the way he greeted Cynthia in a tone very akin to cheer told them otherwise. Either Harry knew how to keep his emotions toward certain people from interfering with things or he was a damned good actor. Whichever one he was, the rest of the dinner went without upset, mostly spent with William asking questions and Iris making a mess of her food tray. Harry laughed at the boy's questions and the baby girl's antics, taking on the inquiries easily and moving to help Cynthia when Iris's attempts to make food art became too obvious to ignore.

Watching his cousin help his wife in cleaning their daughter, Dudley had been worried that seeing his mother again would send Harry running. Thanks to the dementor attack years before, the visions the odd creature had shown him had been enough to force the once overweight teen towards reforming his habits and behavior. Harry's surprisingly brave actions and dominating behavior that night had also been a surprise, as was seeing him showing that same toughness in the face of his parents not even a week prior. Vernon's rage, and eventual rejection of his mother a few days later, hadn't been surprising but Harry's two-sided ire and agreement not even ten minutes earlier most certainly had been. The way his eyes had flashed and almost glowed in the lighting had been strange by itself but his demeanor was that of a predator, preparing to strike down a lesser comrade for offending him. Whatever had happened to the man in the years he'd been more or less incognito from their lives had changed him. In his mind, Dudley could only hope it was for the better. Dinner went by smoothly enough, Harry joining in affably when addressed, laughing at William's stories and smiling at Cynthia's own anecdotes. Only when they settled in the living room for cake did his somber mask return, reminding Dudley of a few teachers from school who had been less than pleased with him for whatever it'd been at the time. To everyone's surprise, Harry's explanation of the various papers in the folder were pretty straightforward, telling them a friend had put it together for him hours before his arrival. When asked about his friend, Harry had only smiled fondly.

"She was one of my first friends and a muggleborn like William. She was also the smartest in the school so she's pretty brilliant. Though she is responsible for making sure her husband and I even passed into the next year so watching her daughter sometimes is as close to a payback as I'm going to get." He remarked, earning looks of surprise from his cousin and aunt but a slow nod of understanding from Cynthia. This seemed to assure her that at least some part of his life hadn't been hell.

And prompted a curious question, delivered over a sip of tea and a devious smile curling her pretty lips. "I've been meaning to ask…are you married Harry?"

Taken aback by the inquiry, Harry considered lying but decided not to. The truth was bound to come out anyway. "No, not just yet. My work keeps me busy and being gay, that just makes finding a suitable partner all the more frustrating."

"Y-you're gay? You never told us that." Dudley managed to say without sounding too awkward while Petunia merely blinked. Harry mentally awarded himself points when she didn't go pale and start shrieking. He could only imagine her grandson turning out to be a wizard had gotten rid of some of her old narrow-minded thoughts. Though Harry was certain had he been present, Vernon would've been cursing and yelling up a storm.

Still, Harry got himself to laugh and smile awkwardly, trying to take everything in stride and failing. "I didn't find out until a few years ago when a certain… piece of my anatomy didn't respond to my girlfriend at the time. She's happily married now and with child so there's that."

"Do you two still talk?" Cynthia asked, sounding honestly curious though the look in her eyes was a bit too knowing for Harry. It was highly possible the woman had friends who were gay and could already be scheming to set up dates for him. At least Hermione had finally given up after eight years of trying.

Thankful that things were moving on in a slightly different direction, Harry found his confidence again when he nodded. "Of course, she works a few floors above mine so I see her when her brother Ron isn't around."

"Ron? The one from the red-haired people who came 'round?" Dudley inquired of him, his face twisting slightly as he tried to recall the horde of gingers that had descended on Privet Drive to come fetch Harry one summer.

"Yes, Ginny is his little sister and the only girl so my coming to them out was…fairly awkward. They've since accepted that it's something I can't change and have thankfully stopped trying to set me up on dates." The raven told them, watching Petunia scowl in a curious fashion out of the corner of his eye. The news that she wasn't alone in being put-off by his confession seemed to be the key to her comfort with everything.

Oblivious to the elder woman's ponderings, and not even asking about the Weasleys, Cynthia was once again speaking, her tone reflecting pure, honest curiosity. Like a school girl wanting to hear the latest gossip. "How were they…the dates?"

"Bloody awful, which I can imagine is how it was for you with this one. The wizarding community is smaller than you think so my…reputation got in the way a lot. How about you Cynthia? Any romantic getaways with _Duddykins?_" Harry shot back over his taking a bite of cake, a soft angel cake dusted lightly with powdered sugar with a tiny swirl of whip cream and a strawberry.

Dudley blushed deep red at the nickname, though his responding smile was gamey rather than insulted. "You must really want me to test my right hook on your jaw don't you?"

"Should I tie a hand behind my back? No, both and then we'll see what happens!" Harry joked back, snickering Cynthia rolled her eyes when Dudley made a show of rolling up his sleeves and moving to rise from his chair.

"Now, now you two. No need to let your testosterone take control. I'd like to keep blood and teeth off my floor." She scolded lightly, patting her husband on the arm as though the hulking beast of a man was simply an unruly child. Petunia seemed content just to watch, a ghost of a wry smile on her lips as she took a sip of tea, eyes observant.

"Yes dear." Dudley responded in mock defeat, sitting back so that he could pick at his cake like the spoiled little boy he used to be. Only his amused grin gave the façade away.

Harry was doing his best not to burst out laughing at the show. Never in his life did he think his once brutish cousin would allow anyone to deny him anything. _Beauty soothes the best indeed._ He thought as he now sent his own inquiry at the woman. "Short leash then?"

"Only long enough to let him bark before reeling him in." Cynthia returned easily enough, Harry unable to keep the deep laugh from escaping his throat.

"At other women or sweets?" he asked, this time earning a chuckle from Petunia, the elder woman not even bothering to cover it with a cough.

"That does it. I have to hit him now. Can I Thia?" the blonde man pleaded childishly, earning laughs all around from the room's occupants.

"Don't even try it you goof. And you, stop goading him! I just might let him." Cynthia managed through her chortling, having to set her tea down to keep from spilling it all over her dress.

"I can't help it. Turned tables and all that." Harry responded, chuckling right along with them until something in the house shifted. In a second, all mirth was gone as the raven turned his attention to the ceiling and the odd feeling coming from the next floor. This sudden switch was noticed immediately when everyone fell silent, watching him stare at the ceiling as if it were a puzzle he had to solve.

"Harry?" Dudley asked, glancing at his mother long enough to get a baffled shake of her head before returning his attention to his cousin. It took almost everything he had not to let concern enter his tone. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"Quiet!" he whispered harshly without meaning to, instinct taking over as he pulled his holly wand from his sleeve, his mind trying to decipher the feeling that he had. A shift in the energy upstairs had the raven sprinting toward the stairs with no mind to stealth at all since he couldn't apparate right into the room. The only place he'd been was the ground floor and even that was limited to him. Dashing toward the concentration of foreign Dark energy, Harry burst into the room, wand raised to find a cloaked figure over Iris's crib. Why the intruder wasn't in William's room where the boy was sleeping he didn't know and he didn't care. Heartfelt rage at the intruder and fear for the baby girl had his magic roaring for release. The first thing he sent was a Stunner that could make a basilisk go stiff but the person ducked, making the spell strike the wall in a flash of red. Even in his fury, Harry knew better than to cast anything too dangerous in the house, casting Stunners at the stranger who put up good shields in an attempt to fend him off. Whoever he was, he was good. But Harry was better. His sharp eyes caught sight of the nursery's corner window, the other facing the house next door. Not about to cause a ruckus for the neighbors, Harry pointed his wand and declared. "_Depulso!_"

With a cry, the cloaked figure was sent flying out the window with a crash of broken glass and bent plastic framing. Awakened by the noise, Iris began to fuss and cry from her crib, Harry moving to the window first to be sure the stranger was either injured or gone. Finding nothing, his next concern went to his niece, who was sitting up and bawling, her face screwed up and red with upset. Not daring to put his wand away, Harry moved to comfort the child anyway, speaking in low soothing tones, cooing softly into the child's ear as he lifted her up into his arms in a protective hug while casting diagnostic charms. When the spells came back negative, Harry was relieved, making sure that no broken glass had gotten on the defenseless girl. He'd held Rose plenty of times but for some reason this felt different. Rose was his goddaughter but with this child, the relationship was a tad more intimate, another reason why Harry was finding it harder and harder to stay angry at his relatives. He still hated Vernon with a vengeance but at least Dudley and Petunia were making an effort to connect with him in a way they'd never done before. The most he could hope for was that Cynthia would continue to act as a buffer for them should things get too tense between them. The sounds of more running caught his attention, making him flash back to reality, wand once again up and ready to strike at the faceless intruder. His relief came swiftly at finding it was Dudley and Cynthia, their faces flush with caution and fear, Petunia following close behind with a pale face.

"Harry! What happened?" Dudley all but demanded, glancing between his cousin and the broken window.

"Someone tried to do something to Iris. I've no idea who it is or why but we need to leave. Now." Harry responded in his Auror's voice, deep, strong and giving no room for arguments.

Shocked, his cousin balked, as if his brain couldn't comprehend what had just happened in the slightest. "Now? But it's the middle of the night!"

Harry glared at the man, honestly hating how ignorant the man was to the dangers they were in. "Dudley! Someone just tried to hurt your daughter and is skilled in Dark magic! I don't know what's going on just yet but I plan on finding out. So you're all leaving right now. Take her and—GAH!" he cried out when a spell of neon green hit his shoulder, nearly making him spin and tightened his grip on the still fussing child in his grip in case he did fall.

"Harry!" Dudley shouted, moving forward to help his cousin toward the door, careful not to touch his wounded shoulder. All but shoving a crying Iris into his cousin's arms, Harry managed to pull the door shut and spell it with the strongest Locking Charm he knew. But already the stranger, last seen working to get back in through the busted window, was sending spells at the door with abandon.

Trying not to collapse against the wall in his pain, Harry blinked incredulously upon seeing no one had even started down the hall. "Go!" he shouted forcefully, no one arguing after that. Cynthia only paused to rouse William, who's face went from sleepy to fearful when more spells attempted to break down his sister's door. Still the boy didn't argue when they were all ushered into the living room, Harry trying to ignore the stinging in his shoulder as he called out again. "Nipper!"

With a loud pop, the blue-eyed elf appeared in the room, wearing one of Dudley's old shirts and shoes. Looking right at Harry, the elf ignored the blatant stare he was receiving from his audience. "Master Harry called for Nipper?"

"Nipper, I need you to help me apparate everyone to Grimmauld Place this minute and keep them there until either I or Kingsley gets there. Don't ask, just do it." Harry commanded, casting a healing charm on his shoulder to dull the pain and see if he couldn't fix it enough to keep going.

Frowning at the fact Harry was injured, the elf simply nodded. "Nipper will do as Master Harry asks." Turning to the group of people watching him, the magical being extended his spindly hand towards William. "The young master will hold tightly onto Nipper, for he is safe with him. The mistress too."

"Harry what-?" Cynthia began to ask, her voice shaking with uncertainty.

The very thought the confident woman before him was scared possibly to death of all the unknowns being thrown at her made Harry's heart hurt. In the few times they'd met, Harry had come to like the affable woman, feeling his cousin incredibly lucky for finding someone so rich in warmth and kindness. Still, Harry had to stay focused on his job, though he allowed his hard mask to melt a little at her expense. "Just take his hand, he'll take you someplace safe, I promise. I'd take you but it's not safe when I'm injured." He said, indicating his shoulder, which had thankfully stopped stinging. When she still looked unconvinced, Harry spoke again as soothingly as he could manage. "You'll be fine."

Hazel eyes blinked then flashed with newfound determination. Behind her, Petunia had also donned a hard look to show she wouldn't let this situation undo her. Looking down at the elf before her, Cynthia reached out and took the elf's open hand to speak softly. "Let's go."

Nipper merely nodded before they vanished with a loud pop, leaving Petunia, Dudley, the still quietly crying Iris and Harry by themselves. Only the sound of spells hitting the reinforced door upstairs filled the quiet that fell over them. After a few seconds, Dudley was whispering as he clutched his daughter to his chest. "Now what?"

"He'll be back for you three and then me since house elves have more powerful magic than wizards. I would suggest taking all of us at once but I don't want to risk it with a two year old in the mix." Harry admitted, Petunia seeming thoughtful at this information while Dudley gave a shaky nod of acceptance.

"What about the bloke upstairs?" he whispered, petting his child's hair, his face finally going hard at the thought that someone had tried to harm his daughter.

"I'll deal with him. And I'll try not to destroy your house in the process." Harry told him, allowing his expression to become stony in response.

"I'd quite like that." Dudley muttered, his attempt at sarcasm failing horribly. After a moment, he murmured. "Be careful cousin."

Harry stared, truly taken aback by the statement, searching for anything amiss in the blonde's face to suggest it was another attempt at a joke. Upon finding his cousin was perfectly serious, blue eyes frozen with conviction as if to dare him to get sent to the hospital or worse without permission. The fact the man truly did care for him in a fashion he'd never even hoped to see, Harry's dark exterior almost broke under the weight of pure gratitude. _Things really have changed after all._ His mind told him, the words coming easily. Knowing nothing else to say, Harry let his demeanor soften again as he whispered back. "No promises."

Nipper returned as expected, his large blue eyes giving Harry a hard look but the raven only nodded to the elf before he vanished with his aunt, cousin and niece. This left Harry by himself to deal with the hateful person who'd go so far as to try and hurt a baby. The fact it reminded him of his own mother's death didn't feel like coincidence, probably the act of a would-be Lord wanting to create foe out of the girl or worse. Pulling up a happy thought, Harry cast a Patronus, watching his father's stag prance into being from the luminous mist that made it what it was. Speaking in a commanding tone, Harry directed the stag. "Tell Kingsley and Draco that a wizard using Dark magic has tried to attack Iris Dursley at 303 Ramsden, Godalming. They are to send assistance immediately to aid me in his capture or slaying."

Ever obedient, the stag bowed its head of antlers and leaped away toward the window and into the night, once again leaving the raven by his lonesome. His only hope now was that his trusted friends would arrive to help before he was beaten or killed. Unlike the beliefs of many, Harry was an ordinary man like the rest of them, though his magic was stronger than average and his skills had only been honed by decades of fighting. During his job, he feared for his friends and what other allies he had in the Auror Department but right now, his foe had gone a step too far. One did not bring _family_ into it. It was true he saw the Weasleys and others as family but more of a giant surrogate one. Now he had a real, blood-related one that actually cared about him for once, who he had to protect as best he could their past differences be damned. Rather than standing there in the open and exposed waiting for his opponent, Harry ascended the stairs again so to skulk in the doorway of what seemed to be the guest bedroom. Not that it mattered. All that mattered now was taking down the intruder before he got away or tried anything else. From the way the stranger was still fighting to get through the door told Harry he was either too busy not have noticed the apparition downstairs or was just a goon of some kind. Either this man was confident in his skills or simply hadn't anticipated in Harry being present that night. Whatever the reason, only the threat of going to Azkaban for the rest of his life kept him from wanting to brutally kill this man. No matter what, this man would pay dearly for his poor choices.

Suspense! Action! This last scene actually made me mad, even though I'd written it to be that way. I'm so angry I could break the fourth wall and strangle this crazy moron but I'll leave that to Harry. I think he could use something to de-stress him a bit. I'd leave another little teaser about the next chapter but that might become a spoiler! That's right; think 'bad form, Blue, bad form'! And keep thinking it until '_Shadow Of A Doubt_' returns with:

_**Chapter 4: Picking Up The Pieces!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Picking Up The Pieces

Welcome back everybody, to another chapter of '_Shadow Of A Doubt_'! Things are going smoothly for once since this story is unfolding better than most I write, which I'm sure everyone appreciates. For those of you visiting from other fics, yes I do plan on getting to my other works but for now you're gonna have to make do. Until then, I don't own HP so enjoy!

"Iii" = speech

_Iii_ = thought

Chapter 4: Picking Up The Pieces

Draco found apparating to the small college town of Godalming, Surrey was taking too long, even though he knew that the Dursleys had no Floo and he'd never even been to the house before in a blatant stalking of his coworker. True, he'd been worried about the infuriating raven when Dudley's letter had arrived, making the man annoyingly retrospective. When the first interaction between the two sides had gone well if interrupted by work, Draco had relaxed a bit only to secretly confer with Hermione about it the following days. Naturally, the brunette woman knew about it already since Harry always spoke to his friends about things though in this rare instance Draco heard about it first. Not surprisingly, Hermione was concerned what sort of dark things being near his blood relatives would invoke in the raven but when none of the usual signs appeared, both were assured he was taking it all very well. He was just lucky the ancient potions tome he'd been sifting through had been on a bookstand on his desk when Harry's stag Patronus had appeared, echoing the man's voice like a radio speaker. Draco had paled at the information it contained, his blood chilled at how _mortally_ _angry_ the raven sounded in spite of sounding oddly professional about it. Whatever was going on clearly required legal assistance if the mention of Kingsley's name was to go by. Still, the blonde hadn't hesitated to pull on a coat and leave in a whirl of blurred colors and energy, glad he knew enough about Britain's layout to even know where Godalming was. He was quite certain someone in the Ministry was hurrying to put the necessary coordinates together for the Minister. As tempted as Draco was to get to the house and apparate all the way back to London just to fetch the dark-skinned wizard, he didn't have the heart to consider it as an option. Helping Harry out of whatever bind he was in was his only thought, wanting to shake away the fear his mind created at the mere inkling that something could happen to his now four year old son Scorpius.

As open and social as his Gryffindor coworkers were, Draco was still extremely paranoid about someone taking his old Death Eater affiliation to heart and try to harm his only son. It was bad enough Astoria Greengrass had almost died giving birth to the small boy prior to their marriage's mutual dissolution since the brunette woman was certain trying for another would be too dangerous. In honesty, one child was enough for Draco, though he agreed with Astoria in their parting of ways to being friends. Last he heard from her, she and her new husband were having their first child through a surrogate since their Healer confirmed her fear that having another child herself was indeed too risky. With his father dead, Draco was more than confident to leave his son in his mother's capable hands or Astoria's whenever she visited. His cautious reconnection with Andromeda Tonks was still rocky but the last female Black was more than trustworthy if she was helping Harry raise is child cousin. At the very least he'd managed to get his mother to speak to her long-lost sister, leaving the two women alone for almost two hours to get past the heartbreak and lies their parents had told. Since it was the middle of the night, Draco was deeply grateful there were no drivers out on the roads he popped into existence on since he was certain there was very few shield charms strong enough to prevent something terrible. Still, Draco had the sense to appear on the sidewalk or between any parked cars, pausing only long enough to glower up at the street signs when he finally reached the town. It took him at least two jumps to find Ramsden, and another two to find 303 a ways down, the first window on the top left busted out and grass all over the lawn and small piece of roof covering the living room window just below. The crackle of magical energy was heavy and Draco could see the flash of spells being traded back and forth, just distant enough to be mistaken for electrical discharge from a wayward appliance. Draco was ready to barge in and take on whatever danger his partner was facing but had the sense to wait lest Kingsley arrive with a different tactic in mind. This prediction rang true when three figures appeared, the tall dark-skinned wizard in his usual robes of exotic purple with two Aurors in traditional scarlet flanking him.

"Good evening Minister." Draco greeted him affably enough, giving the older man a respectful nod.

Smiling as he nodded in turn, Kingsley's deep voice rumbled in the night air. "And to you Mr. Malfoy. What do we know?" he asked, dark eyes narrowing warily at the obvious signs of combat going on.

Having come to know the large man well, along with being one of Harry's many surrogate parents, Draco only shook his head while allowing his concern to show. "Very little, I've just arrived myself. It would appear the fun has been started without us."

"Indeed. One I plan on stopping. Who lives here exactly?" the elder wizard asked, voice solemn and business-like. There was no taking the Head Auror out of this man.

"Harry's cousin, Dudley. His son showed signs of having magic and called for aid. From what he told me today, Harry planned on helping to get the boy transferred to a more… informed school to combat the boy's talents. I had no reason him or the family to be in danger until I got his Patronus." Draco reiterated, earning more than one look of surprise since it was well known that even though he was notorious for being with the Weasleys or his godson Teddy, very little was said of any true blood relations.

Thus, Kingsley's troubled look was understandable, the dark-skinned wizard well aware of the Savior's past with that horrible family. "I had not known Harry was in contact with his muggle family."

Draco waved away his concern. "You've been very busy sir, and I think either I or the Weasleys would've done something if Harry was in danger from them. For now, it seems to be an outside source."

Relaxing a tad at this news, Kingsley nodded, letting his expression become firm. "That I understand. Wilton and I shall cover the rear while you and Barton take the front. I want this Dark wizard caught before anymore damage is done."

"That or Harry kills him for trying to hurt a baby girl." Draco growled, once again earning looks of surprise from his counterparts.

"Baby?" Wilton asked in plain shock of this information, the almost tanned brunette unfamiliar to Draco but knew him to be a good caster of charms. He didn't recognize Barton, the pale man with hazel brown hair becoming paler at the mention of a child potentially in harm's way, likely due to having children of his own.

Draco didn't hesitate to give the stricken Aurors a grim look. "Yes, from what he's told me, the boy is five while the girl is roughly two years old. I've never seen them but knowing Harry, he's become quite attached."

"That he would, knowing he's helping raise his godchildren." Kingsley remarked, his own expression having become cast in dark shadows, bespeaking of the large man's subtle rage on the matter.

"Then I suggest we assist in the affairs of two more. By your lead, Minister." Draco responded, pulling out his wand. It was high time Harry got his much-needed back up.

Kingsley didn't even hesitate, his deep voice a hushed whisper of fury as he commanded into the autumn chill. "Go."

Draco didn't need to be told twice, the large man and his smaller counterpart already heading toward the back gate while Barton took the initiative in casting an anti-apparition spell over the house. From the way the flash of spells were still coming through the second floor windows, neither combatant noticed and had yet to fall in their battle of wills. Draco was pleased to find the front door was unlocked, quickly stepping in and heading toward the stairs with Barton just behind him. Scanning the living room and what little they could see of the kitchen, the pair was relieved to find they were more or less alone, though the sound of a spell ricocheting off a wall upstairs got them moving again. Knowing his steel grey coat would blend with the shadows better, Draco moved first in ascending the stairs and peeking into the hall. As expected, the once clean walls of painted lemon yellow were pockmarked with smoldering holes, dents and something that looked like acid. He did not envy the repair crew when they would arrive to undo all the damage but let the thought slide. Movement draw his eye as a cloaked figure down the hall came out of hiding and pointed his wand at a doorway less than three feet away from Draco's spot on the stairs, a beam of red sent shrieking down the passage as another figure shifting to avoid the shot. Draco ducked in case the unknown spell came his way, the flash of color lighting things up enough to see spots. Harry appeared when it passed, his own missile of acidic green speeding down the corridor just as the stranger dove out of the way.

"Harry!" Draco called out softly to avoid drawing the intruder's attention, the raven's gaze quickly falling on him as he froze in mid-motion to duck back into his hiding spot. Green eyes blinked at him, the man obviously tired with the prolonged duel but still had enough energy to keep it up for who knew how long. He seemed to realize that staying where he was wasn't smart, moving back into the safety of the room's threshold while still looking at Draco. His partner appeared tired to the blonde's eye, only a small cut on his cheek the most obvious injury as he spoke again. "Get over here, we'll cover you!"

Rather than answering, Harry only shook his head, wincing as he tried to move his left arm to show that he was compromised at least in terms of physical agility. His legs appeared fine but his shoulder was clearly a hindrance that could be hazardous. Biting down the foul curse that came to mind, Draco scowled but nodded in understanding. He didn't hesitate to turn to Barton who was gripping his wand anxiously. "I'm going over there. Cover me."

"You got it." the Auror muttered, moving so that he was next to Draco on the top steps to begin shooting spells in Harry's stead. The intruder took the bait, turning his aim toward Barton as Draco dashed across the small divide and into the bedroom where Harry was sheltered.

"It's about time you got here. Where's Kingsley?" Harry asked, his voice soft from effort, eyes wide with a mixture of emotions that hinted at his inner turmoil. Draco was simply surprised the man's wild hair wasn't standing on end.

Still he kept his voice low and in the moment, grey eyes scanning Harry for any other injuries he may have missed. "Outside with another Auror, probably making sure there aren't more. He is alone right?"

Blinking at the question, getting back into his Auror mindset, Harry nodded firmly in response to the inquiry. "So far. I don't know if he did anything but I think I stopped him before he did anything. Gods, Draco I'm scared I wasn't fast enough!" he said in a hushed whisper, letting his distress show through if for a few seconds.

"We'll deal with that later. Where are they now?" Draco asked, hoping that distracting the man would get him to stay focused. Harry was useless if he was both wounded and troubled.

Harry nodded again, knowing the question was part of the process. "I called Nipper to take them back to Grimmauld Place until I or someone else I trusted could get to them. I only cast some diagnostic spells on her but they didn't show anything. But what if it wasn't something obscure? What if-?"

Draco was quick to cut him off lest he rant for the rest of the night. "Get yourself together Potter! First we need to take that man down and get you to St. Mungo's for treatment." He growled, effectively getting the raven to push away his concerns for his relatives for the time being. "Just the shoulder?" Draco asked, glowering to keep his partner from reverting back again.

The scolding had clearly been enough when Harry's face took on a grim look, once again nodding at the blonde. "I thought he'd left and had my guard down. I did what I could with it but I don't think it did much." He said easily enough, letting his partner examine the stinging wound through the hole in his clothes. "Hurts like hell when I move it though."

Giving the concentrated burn a look of disapproval, Draco cast a pain-relieving charm on it to help the man along. "You did the right thing. Let's end this."

"Thanks Draco. I wasn't sure if you'd come or not." Harry told him, his serious expression cracking a little to show how he hated thinking the blonde wouldn't come help him, no matter how much they'd been through together.

Draco only answered with a scoff. "We're partners, you imbecile. Malfoys do not leave their allies to face their enemies alone."

"Except a certain Dark Lord." Harry quipped, a tired smile lighting up his face.

The blonde almost didn't roll his eyes, unable to keep the answering smile off his own lips. "Yes, except him. He was mad after all. And he lost our loyalty when he brought his insanity to our home the way he did." Draco shot back, looking back out to see how Barton was faring. So far, the intruder had been sending curses and hexes at him, and the pale man holding his own without complaint. Giving their fellow Auror a nod that they were coming, Barton nodded back as he shot back a few more hexes of his own to keep their attacker suppressed. Draco looked to his partner. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Harry told him wearily, but braced to dash for the staircase anyway. As they both jumped out into the open, Draco cast a shield charm while Barton fired off a few more shots as he and Harry ran for the safety of the stairs.

Once in the narrow space, Harry almost tumbled down a few steps if not for Draco's grip on his arm, Barton moving down with them as he calmly demanded. "Potter, you alright?"

"I'll live, thanks Barton. Where's Kingsley?" Harry asked their fellow Auror, Draco hiding his surprise that the raven knew who the man was. _Leave it to the Gryffindor to know some people better than me._ He mentally grumbled, though in his defense, the few people he did know were in Records or with Human Resources. Anything to get a decent cup of coffee in that pit of a break room.

"Out back, looking for any accomplices. He and Wilton are going to cover our escape. Is it just the one man?" Barton asked the customary question, in the moment and glancing back the way they'd come in case their attacker used their silence as a chance to make his move.

"He arrived alone so probably. He just apparated right into the nursery, the cocky bastard." Harry grumbled in pure hate for the unknown man, making both men bristle at his words. The fact the man was in a muggle's house that Harry Potter happened to be visiting was odd enough. But the fact he knew exactly where the child's nursery was bespoke of ill omens.

Draco bit down all the theories that came to mind for such a culmination of facts, instead distracting his compatriots with his own question. "Any idea what he wants?"

Shoulders slumping as the raven slowly gave in to fatigue, Harry shook his head. "No, just that he's good at spells. He's been givin' me a run for my money this whole time."

"We'll get it sorted. Let's get outside." Barton said in a soothing voice, and Draco wasn't about to argue with him. He made certain that his body was shielding Harry's in case the stranger came charging to hex them in the back.

Running footsteps were all the warning he had when Barton quickly turned and shouted as he pointed his wand back up the way they'd come. "_Everte Statum!_"

"_Stupefy!_" Draco said in tandem with the brunette, watching both spells strike the flailing man as he was sent off his feet with a cry before crumpling to the floor.

Below them, Harry had frozen with his own wand ready in case the man got up again but they all relaxed when nothing happened. Nodding at their counterpart, Draco filled the quiet with a grateful voice. "Good catch Barton. Stay here Potter."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Harry muttered as the pair ascended the stairs again with their wands at the ready for any more trouble. Sure enough, their target was lying on the floor, unconscious and sprawled out under the dent where he'd hit the wall. His face was hidden by both his hood and a Disillusionment Charm, Draco not taking any chance upon binding the man in magical restraints while Barton summoned the fallen man's wand. For a second or two, Draco was certain his fellow Auror would snap it if the dark look on the man's face was to go by but he pocketed it instead, aiming his own wand to Levitate the man out.

"I've got this Malfoy, go deal with your partner." He said, giving the blonde a kind look.

Normally Draco didn't care to be dismissed but since there was no displeasure in the man's voice and he was technically off the clock, he wasn't about to argue. "Right. I certainly don't look forward to the paperwork ahead of me." Draco muttered irritably as he turned to head back down the stairs.

Barton chuckled. "Neither do I." then he called out, making Draco stop and look back at him. "And Malfoy…I look forward to working with you in the future. Though everyone does say you can be an insufferable git sometimes."

At that, Draco couldn't help but snicker, letting a cool smile curl his lip. "If I didn't, none of us real Aurors would get any work done. But I'm grateful either way. I'll see you downstairs."

Barton only quirked an eyebrow at his comment but otherwise didn't say anything, content to take a closer look at the spell damage all across the hall as Draco descended to find his partner leaning against the wall. Straightening a bit at Draco's approach, Harry watching him expectantly as he asked the question of the hour. "You get him?"

"We got him. He's out cold and due for a real wringer when Kingsley gets ahold of him. Let's go tell him the job's done, yeah?" Draco returned, making sure his weary partner got down the rest of the stairs without taking a header.

Harry seemed more than willing since he didn't protest. "Definitely. I didn't get to finish my cake. Again!"

"Poor you. What flavor was it?" the blonde asked, more amused that despite everything, his stupid Gryffindor of a partner was complaining about food.

"Angel cake." Harry responded almost reverently.

Draco couldn't keep his snickering under wraps. "How fitting."

"Prat." Harry growled but was smiling anyway as they headed through the kitchen to the backyard. In the middle of the dying grass stood Kingsley and Wilton, both wizards casting spells on the neighboring houses to ensure none of the muggles living in them came to see about all the noise.

When the door opened behind them, Kingsley turned and brightened upon seeing them, not hesitating to abandon his task to approach them. "Harry! Are you alright?"

"Better now. Sorry for bother, sir." Harry said, shaking the larger man's hand and thankful he wasn't pulled into a hug. His shoulder still hurt like hell and though the Minister of Magic was a large man, he was by no means rough.

Kingsley's face softened at how beaten Harry was, sympathy going out to the younger man and how trouble seemed to keep following him around. "It's never a bother when you're involved Harry, you know that."

"Anything on your end, Minister?" Draco cut in, mildly disliking he was breaking the rather moving atmosphere between the two men. It was bad enough his own godfather was hiding out in a cottage somewhere in retirement after somehow surviving Nagini. He was uncertain if Harry knew about the former potions masters' whereabouts after the trials, but since the raven had yet to ask, he wasn't about to tell him.

With that Kingsley sobered, frowning in obvious displeasure. "Nothing. Whoever that man is, he's working alone or came alone at the behest of allies. I plan on finding out which is true I promise you." The large man growled, showing his annoyance at the whole thing. Behind him, Wilton was nodding in agreement, the tan man also frowning at the thought their war hero just couldn't do anything without interruption anymore. "Now that this crisis is over, I'll have a crew come and see to the house while you two get to the hospital."

"Sounds familiar. See you tomorrow?" Harry asked, already dreading the amount of paperwork that was ahead of him.

Instead, Kingsley was frowning more, giving the raven-haired Auror a pointed look. "Not you. Take a few days off to recover, let us handle this. We help our own Harry."

"Thanks. I'm sure Dudley is beside himself at this point." Harry returned tiredly, not about to put up an argument. It was late at night and he was too worn out to do much else.

As they turned away from Kingsley to head to the street to apparate, Draco couldn't help but ask once they were out of earshot. "He really does care, does he?"

"Shockingly, yes. He told me to 'be careful' too." Harry murmured, as if even then it still puzzled him. "My aunt Petunia was silent and went without fuss, thank heaven."

"And your uncle?" Draco asked, keeping his voice even though inwardly he hated the man though they'd never met. If he was lucky, they never would.

To his surprise, Harry shook his head. "He wasn't here. Left Petunia for having a 'freak' for a grandson. She was staying here at Dudley's insistence."

"Can't exactly say I'm sorry." Draco admitted, unsure of what else to say as they moved to the front gate and outside the anti-apparition spell over the house.

"Neither was I but…I think things will be a bit smoother going forward." The raven told him, voice distant and contemplative as they came to a stop on the sidewalk.

Draco had to fight to not roll his eyes. "Now I'm certain you've hit your head. Let's get you fixed up before you say something else unbecoming."

"Speak for yourself you git." Harry responded with a wry grin, a chuckle lilting his words a bit.

"Twat." Draco growled.

"Clotpole." Harry returned easily.

"Imbecile."

"Good friend."

That silenced Draco's snarl, making him scowl instead. "I'll give you that one." he grumbled as he grabbed hold of Harry's arm and apparated them to St. Mungo's.

Harry's assessment went unconfirmed until he and Draco apparated to the home of the former most ancient and noble clan of Black that he currently claimed as his own. After a harrowing encounter with a less that pleased mother hen of a Healer, Harry was more than glad to let Draco Side-Along them both to escape her clutches. The cut on his face was gone but his shoulder was still sore and his body felt heavy with weariness from his dueling over an hour earlier. He at least had the sense to make sure there was no debris in his hair or on his clothes and the hole in his jacket and shirt looked more like a burn than anything. Like most of his attire, Harry would trust Nipper to repairing the damage for him. As they walked through the door, Draco alert and awake, Harry surprised he was still upright but very concerned about his niece and just what the unnamed man had tried to do. To alleviate his concerns, Draco had agreed to cast some detection spells he knew would be better than average ones that could only sense so much. Ever the faithful elf he was, Nipper was there in the hall with them before the door was even shut, his large blue eyes looking his master over with disapproval. "Master Harry has gone and made a mess of himself."

Letting out a deep sigh, Harry couldn't help but smile at the elf's assessment. "Yes, Nipper I have and not by my own volition. Draco here is going to have a look at Iris since he knows Dark magic better than the both of us. Did you sense anything when you brought her home?"

The elf glanced at the blonde Auror but shook his head as he frowned. "Nipper did not sense anything odd about the child, only that she has potential for magic like the boy and masters. Nipper does not know if this means she will grow up to be a witch, only that she has it."

Both men stiffened at this information, glancing at one another as Harry tried not to sound hurried when he spoke again. "There's no way to know for certain?"

"Nipper only knows how to care for babies, not if they'll be witches or squibs. Nipper is sorry to not be able to do more on the matter. But as Master Harry asked, Nipper did not detect anything stinking of Dark magic on baby Mistress Iris. But Nipper agrees Master Draco may have better luck." The elf responded in his usual stern tone, his face twisting in rage over the stranger Harry had just spent the better half of an hour fighting.

Harry couldn't keep from sighing again, his shoulder slumping with a mixture of relief and confusion. "Thank you, Nipper. I trust she's in Rose's nursery."

The elf nodded, seeming almost proud of himself. "She was most fussy, having possibly sensed the badness of that man. Nipper was very gentle when Master Dudley finally let Nipper care for her, same as when Nipper cares for Mistress Rose when she is visiting."

Accepting this information with a nod, Harry moved on to his next question. "Where is Dudley now?"

"In the sitting room along with the Mistress Cynthia and Petunia. Young Master William has been put in Master Teddy's room once convinced of no danger. Owl Demeter was most distressed when Nipper appeared with strangers and has yet to calm down." The elf informed him, all of which Harry took in stride.

"I see. I'll deal with them. Take Draco to see Iris and be sure all the extra beds are made ready for when everyone wishes to go to bed. Expect them to be here a day or two until it's safe for them to go home. I've also been given some time off work so I should be around to handle anything they find…odd."

The elf nodded, his face the epitome of calm. "Nipper can see how that is most prudent in these circumstances. Master Draco is to be following Nipper quietly as both young children are sleeping."

"Like a mouse, I assure you." Draco responded, pausing long enough to ask. "Potter, do they know about me yet?"

Harry blinked, unsure of what the blonde meant. "What do you mean?"

"That I'm a former Dark wizard and your partner for your job?" he clarified, trying not to lose his patience with his partner. The man was still wobbly from using too much magic.

Again Harry blinked, as if he'd just recalled how he had yet to mention anything other than hints at what he did for a living. "No, but I'll be sure to mention that."

This time Draco did roll his eyes. "Wonderful." He grumbled, following Nipper down the hall to the upstairs nursery, busying himself with recalling all the spells he knew for detecting curses and other spells of Dark magic.

Taking a few breaths to prepare himself, Harry walked into the living room where his relatives were gathered, all of them getting to their feet upon seeing him enter. They each appeared concerned and Harry had no reason to believe it wasn't an act since Dudley was soon next to him, looking him over. "Harry! Are you okay? What happened?!"

"I'm fine, if tired to the point of going into a week-long coma. Lucky for you most of the damage is superficial and will only take a day or two to fix, if that. What's more, I was able to get help and capture the man successfully." Harry informed him, somehow managing to hide the fact he was surprised his cousin actually cared at all though he'd known it for hours now. The fact his aunt's face was drawn, her dark eyes also looking him over for hidden injuries was also off-putting but he ignored it as Cynthia was talking.

"Thank heaven. Any idea what he wanted?"

Harry frowned, bidding them sit down as he all but collapsed in one of the chairs. "Not yet and I probably won't know for a few days since I've been put on leave due to my involvement. In the meantime my partner and other Aurors will handle it instead."

"Aurors? Is that what you're called?" Cynthia asked, looking to her husband and mother-in-law for answers only to get frowns instead.

"Yes, and as you go along, you'll find we wizards have strange names for everything, mostly due to our affinity for Latin. An Auror like me is sort of like an inspector at Scotland Yard once we get enough experience to be treated as such. My partner has gone upstairs to check on Iris to ensure that rogue wizard didn't do anything to her I'm not trained to find." Harry told them, knowing the information would soothe their concerns as well as fill in some blanks.

The trio nodded, but Dudley voiced the question that was on all their minds. "You called that man a Dark wizard…why?"

Harry felt his blood go cold, and knew his expression had become equally grave. "There are two sides to everything, in my case Light. I use my power to help and defend others, making certain not to hurt my opponents or outright kill them. Dark wizards only care about power and control, abusing their abilities to make themselves feel superior. Most of that was stomped out after the war but there are still stragglers and would-be up and comers. We'll never get rid of it completely but the most we can do is keep them from causing us, and the rest of the world enough trouble to get us noticed."

"So…that night. You left to fight a war?" Dudley asked, astonished. Across from him, Petunia looked unnaturally pale while Cynthia appeared shocked. "Why? You were just a child!"

For a moment, Harry didn't say anything, content to merely stare at his cousin with the same severe look on his face. "That's a story best not told tonight, with everything that's happened. The most I can offer you is a safe place to sleep until it's safe to go home. The wards, a magical shield of sorts, are very strong and are centuries old thanks to its former occupants. I'll have my partner ensure that you're called in sick from school and work so that no one gets suspicious of your absence and comes knocking. Not with you house officially being a crime scene." He muttered absently, trying not to blink too much as his fatigue was starting to get to him. "Given the hour, it would be wise to get some sleep."

The moment was interrupted when Nipper popped into existence next to Harry's chair, making all three guests jump as the elf began to speak. "Nipper is to be telling Master Harry that the guest rooms are ready now."

"Thank you Nipper, that should be all for tonight. Did you eat yet?" Harry asked, adding the question out of habit.

And as usual, Nipper hesitated out of concern that his answer would earn him punishment of some kind. "Nipper partook of some apples while Master Harry was away, since he insisted that Nipper try to eat healthy. Nipper is hoping to know what the master's guests would like for breakfast."

Harry blinked. "You didn't ask?"

The elf scowled darkly at him, obviously offended. "It is not Nipper's place to ask! And certainly not when fleeing the bad, bad badness of that man in other house! Such a question would've been very inappropriate and out of place!"

"Yes, I can see how that would be misconstrued. More proof of how tired I am." Harry grumbled, removing his glasses long enough to rub at his eyes. "Pancakes sounds fine as I'm sure William will appreciate something fun after all this turmoil."

"That is something Nipper agrees with considerably. Nipper is to be bidding master and guests good night then." The elf commented, nodding at his master and guests prior to turning on his heel to walk out like a normal person.

"Good night Nipper." Harry called after him, having become accustomed to the elf's odd choice of exit ages ago.

Glancing between his cousin and where the elf had vanished beyond the doorway, Dudley was doing his best not to gape like an idiot. "Harry, why was that little man wearing my old clothes?"

It took Harry a second to process the question, a scowl settling on his brow when he finally did. "First he's not a 'little man' though I only know of one truly small wizard and he was my Charms professor in school. Second, Nipper is an elf and is normally bound by magical law to serve under a wizard and his family their whole lives with only something disposal like an old curtain or pillow case for clothing. They can only be freed by giving them real clothes as acknowledgement of services rendered. Nipper works for me for a considerable pay since his old masters assured he was well-trained in keeping house."

"So, he's like your butler?" Petunia inquired, speaking up for the first time since before dinner at least three hours earlier.

Harry nodded, taking the question in stride. "Of sorts. Elves are magical beings that have been serving wizardom for centuries and have been abused by a myriad of people. Such elves caught under such conditions are usually manipulative and looking for a way to disobey though they'll still follow through with commands if to a degree. It's only in the past few years that, thanks to my friend Hermione, elves are being treated more as people than property or even being falsely accused of murder."

"What?!" Cynthia exclaimed, sounding rightfully horrified by this information. Petunia only looked pale and Dudley seemed to be caught between angry and sick. No doubt such things reminded him of how his parents had treated Harry growing up.

"It's happened a few times and the truth comes out eventually. But I treat Nipper with respect and he does the same, thus giving us a healthy relationship to where he's more perceptive to my needs than elves under much more stressful conditions." Harry told them, watching their expressions calm at this.

"Why 'Nipper' though? That's an odd name." Dudley pointed out once he got his voice back and was no longer red in the face.

"Elves are often given strange names either to describe their personalities or individual traits. So Nipper can be…very curt when he talks." Harry responded, unable to keep the chuckle from slipping through, his guests joining in to speak of their first hand experience of meeting the elf earlier that night.

"Harry? Ah, there you are." A new voice called, Harry turning to find Draco moving to enter, the blonde seeming reluctant to go beyond the threshold. "Should I come back later?"

"No, it's fine. Everyone, this is my Auror partner, Draco Malfoy." Harry said, waving the man in as they all stood up.

Relaxing a tad at the invite, Draco came to stand next to Harry as he gave each guest a respectful nod. "Greetings. I'm sorry to say that we could've met under better circumstances." He said pleasantly enough before sobering as he addressed his partner. "I finished my analysis."

Harry stiffened, sensing that whatever it was, he probably wasn't going to like. "And?"

"If the intruder did manage anything, it wasn't anything Dark, or anything I recognize. I suggest having Hermione coming over to confirm since I didn't find anything even remotely wrong with her." Draco suggested, his handsome face caught in a mild expression of puzzlement but was otherwise relaxed.

"So I was in time then?" the raven pressed, hoping to get a positive answer to the question weighing most heavily on his mind.

Some of Draco's bafflement cleared, giving his partner a reassuring smirk. "It would appear so. Whatever that cretin was planning, he never got the chance to go through with it."

"So there's nothing wrong with our daughter?" Cynthia asked hesitantly, though Dudley almost fell back into his seat in relief.

"Nothing magic related, only that she does have potential to wield it in the future. For now, no point in jumping to conclusions and get some rest. That means you, Potter." Draco growled pointedly at the raven.

"I feel like the walking dead so I won't argue with you. See you at work?" Harry returned in an innocent tone.

"Only if you don't get into any more life threatening duels between now and then. I swear you're completely incapable of taking care of yourself!" the blonde snapped as he moved for the door.

"I'm still alive aren't I?" Harry called after him, snickering when the blonde only shouted back at him.

"Idiot!" he called out as he opened the door.

"Prat!" was all Harry could shout back before the door was slammed shut, the raven snickering in triumph even as he felt the distant shift of apparition just outside the wards.

"Do you two always fight like that?" Dudley asked curiously, wondering if Harry had made a habit of outright fighting with his coworkers.

Harry had to fight down the urge to throw his head back and laugh, though the bark of sound still escaped him as he waved for them to follow him to the stairs. "Oh trust me that was tame to the bare knuckle brawls we used to have in school. He was a right twat back then but he's changed since then."

"Really? Do tell." Cynthia chirped, sounding a bit too eager to Harry's ear.

He glanced back at her knowingly, catching her devious smile. "You just want to gossip don't you?"

The brunette woman giggled almost like a child, not even bothering to hide her intentions from him. "Caught me!"

Harry only chuckled in turn, pausing just outside his own room to turn and speak again. "Use any room you like, there should be clothes in each one to fit each of you so don't worry about laundry."

"Something for Nipper to do?" Petunia asked, sounding more curious than anything.

"He does have magic that deals with it quickly enough. Though teaching him to use the washer and dryer was…an adventure to be sure." Harry told them, earning a new round of surprised looks. "I'll be in this room if you need me. Good night." He said courteously, moving to open his door and make his escape.

Only Dudley's voice stopped him. "Harry." The blonde man gave his wife and mother a quick hug and kiss, bidding them to get settled first. Neither man did anything until both women were in their chosen rooms and out of sight. When both doors finally clicked shut, Harry had to force himself not to jump away when Dudley suddenly engulfed him in a strong hug. For half a minute, Harry didn't know what to do even as his cousin whispered harshly into his ear. "I'm really glad you're okay."

Harry's eyes prickled at those words, his Auror training not needed to tell him they were as heartfelt as anything the other man could've said. It was those words that got him to return the gesture, if at half strength since he was still weak from his dueling. "I've been waiting twenty years for one of you to say that to me." he whispered back, somehow keeping his voice from cracking though he didn't fight the tears when they both pulled back. Blue eyes met green as Harry said with the same sincerity. "It was definitely worth the wait. Good night cousin."

"Good night." Dudley said in a ghostly whisper, each man going their own way.

When Harry woke the next morning, he was groggy and sore from his ducking from spells for over an hour. At the very least his shoulder felt better but his head felt like it was being weighed down with heavy stone. He ended up drifting in and out for a while, finally casting a _Tempus_ charm to find it was closing in on ten in the morning. Groaning, Harry flopped back onto his pillows and let his mind drift off again, his bliss lasting for at least thirty minutes before Nipper finally appeared with his breakfast. As usual the elf was scolding him when he discovered that Harry's headache had yet to dissipate, retrieving the potion for it for the raven to gulp down gratefully. Handing back the vial to be cleaned and refilled later, Harry smiled at his magical helper. "Thanks Nipper. I needed that."

"Nipper is pleased to be of service to Master Harry. Will master be coming down presently?" the elf asked casually enough, though it still raised a red flag in Harry's mind.

"Not until I eat and wash up. Why?"

The elf sniffed but didn't comment on it. "Master Dudley was asking after Master Harry and Nipper told him to let you sleep as Nipper has been ordered to when Master Harry has been given time off. He has since retreated to the kitchen after asking Nipper to find a muggle paper for him. However, Mistress Hermione was most insistent on speaking to you and is with Mistress Cynthia in the sitting room with young baby Iris."

The last of Harry's lethargy vanished at the mention of his friend's name. "Hermione? Did she say anything about Iris at all?"

"Nipper was busy keeping young Master William out of the study, where there are many things he should not be touching since he has no training just yet. Mistress Petunia was most kind in helping Nipper in getting him to stay in the kitchen with her and Master Dudley until Master Harry is to instruct them otherwise." Nipper told him, watching Harry expectantly for his response on the matter.

Harry nodded slowly, knowing that William was too young for a number of the books he had in his study, especially when some of them were centuries old. "I understand, thanks Nipper." The raven said with sincerity. "And the paper?"

It appeared with a snap of the elf's fingers, dropping on the bed next to Harry's hand as the elf spoke again. "Nothing on master and the duel, likely nice-man Minister's doing. Master Draco has yet to report on his own ends and Nipper will keep an eye out for bad beetle woman."

Harry couldn't keep from smiling at the elf's almost cruel promise to keep Rita Skeeter at bay, knowing that in spite of her job she certainly deserved it. "I appreciate that Nipper, the last thing we need is that woman prying into my life again."

"Nipper agrees with master, having read her nasty lies in the past. Nipper will ensure the bad beetle woman doesn't write any nasty lies about master and his relatives." The elf assured him with a wicked look, making the magical being look oddly menacing.

"You're a good elf Nipper. Whoever was your master before me was a right idiot to treat you badly." Harry told him, sharing the elf's dark smile.

Nipper huffed in distaste at the mention of his former 'owner'. "Nipper is just glad to be with Master Harry now. Old master was nasty man anyway."

Harry could only chuckle in agreement. "Carry on, Nipper."

"Nipper will be doing that." He said, vanishing with a pop, possibly to make sure William hadn't escaped the kitchen to cause more trouble.

Harry spent the next twenty odd minutes waking up properly, sipping at his coffee while perusing the _Prophet_ for anything remotely like the truth. Sometimes he wondered why he still read something as fickle as the _Daily Prophet_ thought he did on occasion glance at _Witch Weekly_ or _The Quibbler_ for laughs. As Nipper had told him, no word had reached the all hearing ears of the _Prophet_'s editors and reporters of last night's events, Harry deciding to busy himself with the Quidditch section between sips of coffee and bites of toast. The fact that the Chudley Cannons were losing (again) wasn't that big of a surprise though the Falmouth Falcons seemed to have a good chance at the Cup if they won the next two matches. When he finally folded up the paper, Harry left the tray for Nipper to deal with as he picked out some decent clothes to wear prior to heading to the bathroom down the hall for a quick shower. The warm water and good smelling soap got rid of the last of his body's aches along with any grime left over from his fight the night before. Leaving his sleep pants and boxers for Nipper to find in the laundry hamper in the corner, Harry checked the hall before returning to the haven of his room to dry off and change where he found the breakfast tray was predictably gone. Dressing in a shirt and jeans, as well as a sweater since it was a tad cold in the house, Harry ventured downstairs to see just what he'd been missing out on.

As Nipper had informed him, Cynthia and Hermione were in the living room, chatting softly over a soundly sleeping Iris settled on a pile of pillows in one of the armchairs. There was no doubt Harry thought it was the cutest thing he'd seen since he'd first seen Rose for the first time. Moving further into the room, Harry greeted the two women warmly. "Ladies, have all the fun without me?"

"Harry, there you are. I thought for sure you'd sleep all day!" Hermione all but exclaimed as she rose to greet him, enveloping him in a hug that he gladly returned.

"Yesterday was…stressful." He said awkwardly as they pulled away, his expression sobering quickly. "Any word?"

The brunette with brown eyes to match shook her head as she retook her seat across from Cynthia who was seated in one of the chairs. "Not yet but I can confirm Draco's diagnosis that your attacker didn't have time to do anything to Iris when you got to her nursery to stop him. Although her blood does have the markers of a magical person, it's safe to assume she might become a witch when she's old enough."

"Thanks Hermione. That's a load off my mind. I trust you told everyone already?" Harry asked as he settled onto the couch next to his friend.

Hermione smiled kindly at him, her still unruly hair bobbing as she nodded. "Yes, your cousin was most pleased to know your efforts had prevented anything harmful while it seems your cousin-in-law is picking my brain on how to raise magically inclined children."

"Well your parents were in her place once upon a time. It's only natural she wants answers from the smartest witch in centuries." He pointed out, smiling as his friend only blushed bright red.

"Stop that! I may be intelligent but that's going a bit far Harry Potter." She scolded, though Cynthia was clearly trying not to laugh.

"She never could take a compliment. Even in school, she'd go beet red if anyone commented on how bright she was though her incessant need to answer every question the professors posed for us was a tad annoying." Harry explained, Cynthia smiling almost deviously at this information.

"At least my correct answers got you and Ron through the first year while my study sessions got you through the rest." Hermione shot out, her embarrassment subsiding into pure indignity.

Harry couldn't help but groan, though careful not to be too loud unless his antics woke Iris up. "Don't remind me! Being with you during those study sessions was like being in detention with Snape. All work and no play. Not to mention lots of glowering if we tried to get away early for something reasonable like Quidditch practice."

"And yet you wouldn't have graduated if I hadn't." the brunette quipped, making Harry roll his eyes.

By now, Cynthia appeared lost, glancing between them for answers. "I'm sorry, Quidditch?"

"Oh, it's a wizarding sport where two teams fend off two enchanted balls that strike at players, while throwing another through hoops to score until a tiny metal one called a Snitch is caught, ending the game. I guess it's like soccer and American baseball mixed together but on brooms." Harry explained, ignoring Hermione's small comment of 'bloody jock' over her cup of tea.

Cynthia blinked as he mind tried to comprehend what she'd just heard. "Brooms? As in fly?"

"Yes. I was Seeker during our school years, the member assigned to catch the Snitch. I've been told many a time I'm as good, or better than my father back when he played."

Hazel orbs widened at this, the woman completely dazzled. "Amazing. Do you still play?"

"Sometimes, mostly for fun. We do have professional teams though. They're very competitive and thanks to a number of rule changes, it's not as dangerous in spite of the occasional accident or injury. William is a bit young for it but I'm sure he'll have an interest in something other boys his age, and some girls, have an interest in." Harry pointed out, knowing as a mother, Cynthia would want to know if there was anything her son might be interested in that came from their hidden world.

"I'm still having trouble accepting that wizards have sports. And in midair! Just how many surprises am I going to get?" Cynthia asked shakily, though it was clear she was trying to keep things together.

Harry didn't even hesitate. "Numerous ones until you're no longer surprised. And we're going to be here to help you understand it all, every step of the way." He told her, Hermione nodding along with him as means of support.

Cynthia blinked at his bold statement but eventually a smile curled her lips, her eyes twinkling with delight that she wasn't alone in the madness that had become her life. Sensing he'd fulfilled his obligation to see the two women, Harry excused himself to allow them to return to their chattering as he headed for the kitchen to check on the rest of his relatives. Almost as soon as he opened the door and walked in, a dark blur was coming at him from his left as a shout of 'Uncle Harry!' rang through the air. Half a second later, his midriff was being hugged into submission by an excited five year old, blue eyes wide with relief. Harry couldn't help but smile down at the boy and his enthusiasm. "Well hello nephew. Do keep it down yeah? Your sister's sleeping just down the hall."

Petunia straightened at this, her response catching Harry by surprise. "Is she? I thought it'd gotten quiet. She's been fussing since early morning, poor thing. You boys catch up while I tend to it."

Baffled by his aunt's odd acceptance of everything, Harry was soon distracted by his nephew's excited chattering. "Uncle Harry! Uncle Harry! Dad told me that you caught the bad man! Did you turn his hair green and leafy too?"

The question was so off-putting that Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Yes I helped catch him but no, I didn't give him a new hairstyle. I leave that sort of thing to mischievous little boys who might get in over their heads if they're not careful." He said, rustling the boy's hair playfully before taking on a much firmer tone. "I'm told you tried to get into my study. There a reason for that?"

"You brought Mum and Dad something to read! I wanted to read too!" William countered, pouting in disappointment.

Harry chuckled, knowing that Rose and Teddy had also made attempts to get into his little sanctum for 'something fun to read'. "In due time, since you're still a tad too young for such things but I do have a book or two from when my godchildren visit that might suit you better. What do you say? First ever story time with your uncle?"

"Really? Would you?" William asked his face lighting up as if Christmas had come three months early.

"Sure, I've had plenty of practice with the voices and dramatic hand movements." Harry told him, waving his hands in emphasis.

The laughter he earned from the boy was musical, his smile a face-splitting grin as he declared. "You're silly!"

"So I've been told. For now, I'm sure there's a board game or two upstairs that could help pass the time. How about it?" Harry inquired, knowing it would be enough to distract the boy even more from trying to pick up something potentially dangerous.

"I'll go find them!" William said, already moving to the door without any attempt at asking just where he could find them.

"Atta boy." Harry muttered as the boy dashed out of the room, knowing the five year old just wanted to explore.

Chuckling as his son ran from view, Dudley set his paper down that Harry recognized as the '_London Times_'. "Even now, I'm surprised at how good you are with kids. Another reason I'm glad I had the courage to ask you for help." He said with a warm smile, watching his cousin sit down across from him at the table before daring to broach the question next on his mind. His blue eyes had become dark with concern as he asked. "How are you?"

Somehow not collapsing into his chair, Harry simply nodded. "Better now. It may not seem like it but using magic can be taxing, even deadly if one isn't careful. I let my emotions get the better of me so it cost me a few hours of sleep. The more powerful the spell, and its effects, the bigger the cost. It's like sprinting a half mile but feeling like you've run almost ten in the same time frame. Thankfully William is still too young to feel any kind of effect in response to his accidental magic, else he'd be collapsing as soon as he's done whatever comes to mind."

Dudley blinked at this information, as if his thoughts and past memories suddenly made sense. "That explains a few things. And why you could do some things when we were younger without much consequence outside my parent's freaking out." He winced when he saw his cousin's face lose a shade, hating the man's discomfort all the more now. "You really have been through a lot between those summers, even after you left…haven't you?"

Harry stared for a moment, desperately wanting to lie but knew better for it. The truth would come out eventually, either through his friends or his own mouth. Nodding sadly, Harry didn't keep his face from clouding with the myriad of emotions that always came with his recollections. "Yes. And if I'd failed neither of us would be sitting here right now so you're welcome, even if you don't know exactly what I've done just yet. It's…it's much too early for all that."

"No, I understand. I don't want to pressure you." Dudley responded, not wanting for the darkness that had come over them to remain. "The mere fact we can speak like this is enough for now."

"One step at a time?" Harry asked.

The blonde man nodded solemnly, looking his cousin in the eye. "A day at a time."

Emerald orbs stared back, no doubt looking for any sign of deception, the raven smiling when he found none. "Sounds good."

William returned not long after with a board game he'd taken a liking to, insisting that all three of them play since his grandmother and mother were still chatting with Hermione. Harry tried to find a reason to find it suspicious but shrugged it off. As a fellow magical person who hadn't known anything about magic until their letters came, Hermione's intelligence and logic could no doubt fill in the blanks that Harry couldn't. If the brunette witch held any foul emotion toward his aunt she either didn't show it or had gotten over it when the elderly woman proved more perceptive to learning about her dead sister's world rather than denying it existed. At the very least no high pitched screeching that he knew would come from his friend's mouth when she was upset had come echoing through the house like a banshee's cry so that was a good sign in Harry's mind. In the end, he let the board game his nephew had chosen distract him, taking advantage of his rare free time to make jibes at the boy and his father when they made a good move against each other. He switched gears when they turned the tables on him, pouting dramatically when his maneuvers didn't get him anywhere or blew up in his face though the conspiring wink he sent his cousin's way took away the intensity of his reactions. Dudley smiled each time, trying to hide his laughter while his son taunted them over his victories, going along with the charade. An hour had gone by when the trio of women along with the superbly quiet Iris joined them with Nipper grumbling about how everyone was late for lunch. Harry had smiled at the elf's antics but didn't say anything as the three-foot tall creature got to work, Hermione giving him permission to give Iris some of Rose's baby food and that she'd help resupply it later on. The game went on for a few more rounds, the room filled with laughter and chatter as they quarreled with each other via the game with tea and sandwiches. The clock was going on to one o'clock when they finished, William having grown tired and Iris looking desperate for her nap on top of Hermione saying she had to get back to the office.

Harry saw his friend off at the Floo while both Cynthia and Petunia saw the children back upstairs, William protesting that he was too old for naps though he didn't put up much of a fight as he was escorted away. Glad that all the excitement was winding down, Harry decided then to retreat to his study to busy himself with old files he'd brought home as well as anything else he had yet to see to that month. Greeting Demeter, once again feeling guilty for forgetting to see the barn owl the night before, he let the bird screech at him for causing her so much worry for a few minutes. Eventually she calmed down and returned to her perch, satisfied she'd done her job, letting him sit at his desk and lose himself in the mechanics of his work. He became so caught up in it that time passed him by, only snapping out of it when a knock sounded from the door and the familiar voice that followed.

"Harry?" he heard his cousin inquire cautiously through the barrier. "Are you busy?"

"Come in." Harry called out, glancing at the clock to feel surprise when it showed it was almost three in the afternoon. He looked away quickly enough to meet his cousin's eyes over the folder he had open, frowning when he found the blonde appeared troubled. "Is something wrong?"

Dudley started at the question, as if he hadn't realized his anxiety had been painted on his face, clearing it only to find it wouldn't vanish. "Just…something that's been weighing on my mind I guess."

Folding the manila folder closed, Harry watched the other man carefully. "Oh? Like what?"

Exasperated with himself, the blonde shook his head, seating himself in one of the chairs Harry had set by the fireplace for when he just wanted to read with a drink. "Like how you have this amazing life in this world that I didn't know existed until we were both attacked by those…things as kids. And then we were told to just up and leave, in just a few hours only to come back to find practically no trace of you at all except what you left in my old room or that space under the stairs." He had been staring at the floor, hardwood with an intricate rug of velvet red and ivy leaves of cream and white. Dudley only looked up when Harry moved to join him by taking the chair opposite of his, his troubled look stuck to his features as he continued. "Like how I honestly shouldn't be surprised that you've moved on same as me but like I haven't exactly done enough to show just how much."

Settling into the plush chair, Harry let the silence reign for a moment, green eyes watching his cousin prior to answering. "You definitely changed after that night we were attacked by dementors, which is what they were called, and all for the better. What's more, you became a better person to where you found an amazing woman like Cynthia to marry and have kids with and if what little time I've spent with him has told me, you're also an excellent father." Harry said confidently, watching Dudley's eyes bulge. "All of that is more than enough proof for me, even if you feel it isn't."

"Do you really think that?" the blonde asked, unsure if he'd heard the man right.

Letting out a bark of laughter, Harry grinned. "Of course I do! If I didn't I'd have to be a right idiot." The humor of his smile faded, sensing his cousin's anxiety had yet to dissipate. "But that's not the only thing you came in here for."

"N-no it's not. Last night you said this house had previous owners who were wizards like you. What did you mean by that?" Dudley asked, finding the question coming out without permission.

He was mentally kicking himself a few seconds later when Harry's expression clouded up, shadows of pain and melancholy on his face. "It belonged to an ancient wizarding family known as the Blacks. The last male heir was my godfather Sirius. He…he died protecting me, years ago."

"And he left you the house?" the blonde inquired, astonished. _Was their relationship that close?_ He thought as the next question burst out. "Why?"

"I met him in third year, after I blew up Aunt Marjorie for being…herself." Harry said with a dry laugh, Dudley fighting his own mirth in favor of keeping a straight face. "He'd escaped from prison to see me and tell me that he'd been falsely accused of murder, and that the man who really did it had been the one to betray my parents to the enemy."

"W-what? Couldn't you find him?" _Just how complicated is my cousin's life anyway?_ The blonde thought, dearly hating that nearly every question he asked the man lead toward something terrible.

Harry shook his head, mostly in answer to the question than to cast away the darkness threatening to envelope him. "We did but he got away. And every day since I honestly wish I'd done more to keep him from escaping us and maybe getting away from your parents much sooner. But…obviously that never happened."

"Bloody hell." Dudley muttered in his astonishment. "And your godson?"

The raven blinked but soon clarified. "Is from another godfather, who died in the last battle the year after I left. His wife, Teddy's mother, right along with him. I'm told they went down fighting. And I've told their son just how heroic they'd been, even if I didn't actually witness it." "In the few years I knew them, all three of those people became my surrogate parents, people other than my friends who actually loved me, cared for me. They put their faith in me to end something they'd put their all into trying to stop. I proved it was well placed."

"And you won?" the blonde asked hesitantly.

Harry nodded solemnly. "We did. It was hard fought but well earned. My world, now your children's, has been relatively peaceful ever since. The most I do now is deal with potential threats and any stragglers from the war. I'll work especially hard to keep you and your family from being pulled into the insanity that is my fame from victory, which is probably one reason why that man came to your home last night. Whether or not it's true is irrelevant until the real cause is found and he along with any accomplices are caught."

"I'll trust that to you, since I know I don't stand much chance against magic. But is there anything I can do? I hate feeling helpless in all this." Dudley admitted, truly hoping his cousin could help though he still hated just how helpless he would be against a well-trained wizard with foul intentions.

Across from him, Harry appeared contemplative. "That's only natural, and many a parent who actually are wizards fear the same thing. They don't have the training but they do have the power to try. So do you, even if you think you don't." he paused, looking away to watch the flames in the hearth shift lazily. "That's something we can focus on over the next few days, some things that you and the others can do without magic."

Dudley blinked, astonished. "Is that even possible?"

"There are objects that are magical that can be used whether the wielder has a wand or not so it's plausible. I'll ask around with some friends and see what they come up with. Also being parents, they'll be sympathetic to our concerns. I can also cast wards on your house that keeps anyone from my world from trying to get in though it can allow fellow muggles through so it can go unnoticed. Any witches and wizards in the area might notice but won't think twice, even more so when we introduce you and your family to them and how your children have shown promise. The most I can offer now is patience." Harry told him, smiling kindly.

The blonde nodded slowly at all this, using the silence to process it all. Eventually the rather innocent question came out. "So I really can't just knock their lights out?"

Harry couldn't help but throw his head back with a laugh. "Not really, not unless you get them to drop their wands first. Most depend on their magic or brute strength when magic fails. An Auror like me is given numerous hand-to-had combat training in the rare moment we're disarmed so you're not alone on that count."

"Then I can knock their lights out?" the blonde asked in feigned hope, smiling as the pair of them laughed together.

Chuckling at his cousin's antics, Harry nodded. "Yes Dudley, then you can break their noses granted you don't get hit with a hex first." He muttered past his snickers.

"All right. If you say so." Dudley remarked in fake disappointment.

"I do." Harry told him past his chuckling, starting when the clock chimed the hour. He got to his feet, smiling in spite of the sudden grimness of his voice. "Now we should get going. I'm fairly sure Nipper will come in here to screech at us for being late for tea."

Dudley couldn't keep from chuckling, incredulous. "Seriously?"

"I'm surprised my ears stopped ringing after the last time." Harry remarked absently as he led the way out of the room.

Dudley guffawed in surprise, following his cousin out toward the living room where the rest of the blonde's family was already waiting with Nipper made sure everything was all set for the activity. As they took their seats, the pure joy and innocence of being in the presence of true family for more than a few hours an odd feeling for them both. As Iris tried to make a mess of the tea biscuits with her small hands after escaping Cynthia's grip, prompting both her and Petunia to try and stop her, followed not long after with William's antics to add to the noise of the room, all sadness from earlier was quickly forgotten. The chatter fell toward their future as a magical family, spending over an hour in each other's company before parting to pass the time until dinner. In the midst of it all, the two men found they could get used to it.

Ugh another nineteen page beast! My fingers are crying for a break from all this excitement but I can't! You guys got me into a rush with all your faves and watches (and the rare review though for other works but I'm not picky) so I can only hope what I've posted now will keep you lot happy. I'm thinking a lot about how to go from here and it's a real fork's head that my brain is having trouble deciding. Return Harry to the office and deal with all the craziness that's definitely happening there or stay and watch the Dursleys drive him nuts? Or maybe follow Draco around and see what he's up to? Which will I choose? Find out when '_Shadow Of A Doubt_' returns in:

_**Chapter 5: Dragon, Dog, Otter!**_


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